Movie Review

The Last Mimzy

Posted by Chris Beaumont (chrisbeaumont@filmschoolrejects.com) on June 20, 2007

As I left the theater, I could not help but wonder what this film might have been like if the script was more focused or if the story was actually substantive. I felt that The Last Mimzy tries too hard to be some sort of ET-style message movie. The tone is all over the place, and the elements fail to mesh in any meaningful manner. It is also notable as the product of Robert Shaye’s (the founder of New Line Cinema) return to the director’s chair for the first time since his 1990s film Book of Love. Something tells me he should have remained in the executive’s office.

The basic story tells of two children, Noah (Chris O’Neil) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn), who find a mysterious box filled with toys while vacationing at their family’s lake home. The toys give the two children new abilities and advanced intellect. Now, one of the toys is a stuffed rabbit called Mimzy that speaks to Emma, telling her that the end of the world is coming and that she and Noah possess the key to saving the future. It is up to the kids to figure out what they need to do and to keep as many secrets from their parents as they can in order to reach that end.

Mixed in with this apocalyptic fantasy is some new age-y spirituality, the Patriot Act, a cautionary tale of ecological disaster, and superpowers–none of which have any real effect on the film’s main story. Of course, if you take away all of those unnecessary parts the movie would probably only last 30-40 minutes… but the same thing would happen if the kids decided to tell their parents about what’s going on.

The movie does not work. The script is half baked, and all of the adult characters seem to be clueless as to what’s actually going on… not that we know what is actually going on, either. The adult characters are all rather reactionary and don’t stop to do what would be logical in their situation–talk to their kids.

The script takes the narrative a step further, providing moments where it feels like the production team wasn’t quite sure how to make the leap from one scene to the next.

How should we do it? Have Mimzy say something to Emma and charge off in another direction. What did Mimzy say? Doesn’t matter, the fact that we think something was said is reason enough.

I give the filmmakers some credit for making a film that is more ambitious, and more than a little stranger, than standard family fare. It attempts to do something more than just tell a story about kids trying to save the world; a variety of different things are brought in like the spiritualism, ecological concerns, and the potential dangers of the Patriot Act. Sure, they don’t come together well, but the point is that this production team attempted to make something different. Perhaps The Last Mimzy represents a launching point for future, more intelligent family fare?

Unfortunately, one of the problems that plagues this production is the collision that occurred during the production process between an effort to make an intelligent film and the desire to make a “message film.” The Last Mimzy has a prologue and an epilogue tacked on that attempt to explain the film’s ecological message, but they are tacked on in such a way that it’s almost like watching a completely different movie.

If only more time were taken to develop the story. I can’t help but feel that there was probably a lot more to this script that ultimately was cut in order to preserve a short runtime. Often the plot leaps made during the final film boggle the mind, and trying to connect all the dots will surely give you a headache.

Bottomline. This was not a good movie, but it was not a bad movie, it is a movie that tried but got muddled down in its new age spiritual ecological awareness message and forgot to tell a story. The brightest part of the movie is Rhiannon Leigh Wryn’s performance as young Emma; she is an adorable young actress that really brought life to her role. Maybe worth renting, but not much more.

Not Recommended.