The Last Mimzy
Rated PG for some thematic elements, mild peril and language.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon
Is it just me, or are there more movies than ever starring perky little girls? Cute, wise-beyond-their-years munchkins who know something all the big, lumbering grown-ups can’t quite figure out. This time around, the precocious tyke is learning the wonders of the universe from a telepathic stuffed rabbit called Mimzy in a weird, awkward little tale that wants to be “E.T.” for a new generation.
The Story
On a family weekend to Seattle’s Whidbey Island, cute little Emma (Rhannon Leigh Wryn) and her grumpy older brother Noah (Chris O’Neil) find a mysterious box on the beach. Inside, they discover “toys” -- a collection of gravity-defying rocks, a glowing gelatinous thing, a rectangular piece of shiny glass, and Mimzy, the stuffed rabbit that talks to Emma with odd electronic whirs and clicks.
Under the influence of these objects, Noah and Emma begin to display unusual powers. Noah learns he can control spiders using varying frequencies, as well as suddenly sketching ancient patterns and imagining universe-spanning bridge structures. Emma freaks out the gr’ups by sticking her hand into other-worldly dimensions and levitating things. Other than that, the squabbling sibs are very normal.
Normality takes a hike for good, however, when one of the objects causes a power outage for half of Washington state, bringing the family to the attention of Homeland Security. Before the government storms the door, though, Noah’s science teacher (Rainn Wilson, “The Office”) and his palm-reader girlfriend approach mom and dad about the kids’ abilities. They explain that people in Tibet believe every so often a child with very special abilities (called a “tulku”) comes along to help the world.
Is Emma or Noah such a child? Is Mimzy an alien, a demon, or something else entirely? Will either of these utterly vanilla parents ever get a clue about anything? And could any Homeland Security squad ever be more inept than the guys (lead by the huge Michael Clarke Duncan) that burst into the family’s house and haul them downtown for lame questioning?
The Verdict
It would be interesting to read the 1943 sci-fi story by Lewis Padgett that “Mimzy” is based on to find out if it makes a little more sense than this modern movie version. The film’s biggest flaw from my point of view is that it really, really wants to be a magical tale of childlike fantasy and innocence. You can hear it in the warm and fuzzy score and see it in the endless shots of the little girl’s twinkly big brown eyes.
But what’s actually going on in the story feels much closer to a horror movie -- an alien presence disguised as a cute, stuffed rabbit but yielding enormous power gives two young children fearsome and unexplainable supernatural abilities. That’s scary, right? And the movie might have worked better if it wanted to creep us out.
But probably not, because the film is also wildly uneven in both its writing and direction. As played by Timothy Hutton, the dad seems mostly bored or irritated by his family, while Joely Richardson’s mom anchors a few scenes in which everyone is nearly hysterical for no apparent reason. The kids themselves are fine as kids, but unconvincing as beings of extraordinary power. Rainn Wilson of “The Office” fame gives the science teacher plenty of goofy quirk, but not much reason for being in the story.
Finally, the film ends with an unsatisfying explanation of what and why, but very little how. It earns it’s PG rating with some swearing (mostly with God’s name) and a few frightening moments.
Worldview
[Warning: Spoilers Ahead!!!]
“Mimzy” definitely has some messages for we, the humble viewers. Rainn Wilson’s science teacher lectures that pollution of nature and food (and culture?) eventually causes damage to our genes, leading to things like two-headed snakes. Indeed, we eventually learn that Mimzy comes from such a world where pollution has made all the people sick. The thing that “made them human” has been turned off in their genes.
In addition, the story also embraces a vague Tibetan/Eastern religious worldview in which “the universe” occasionally creates godlike children, speaks to people in dreams, and even hands out lottery numbers.
Putting it all together: If we would just listen to the wisdom of the pure and innocent children and stop polluting our environment, our bodies, and our minds, we can avoid a future in which we will lose our humanity. Then we won’t have to mess with space-traveling stuffed rabbits, universe-spanning bridges, and giant bug suits. Whew, that would be a relief.
For Christians, the Bible’s take on the issues of both kids and pollution is somewhat different. Though created by God in His image, we’re all born with sinful hearts (Romans 3:23) and foolish minds (Proverbs 22:15). Instead of looking to kids for wisdom, Jesus taught we should follow their example as people who understand their need to trust God (not themselves) for salvation. (Matthew 18:3)
As for pollution, we all have a responsibility to care for creation. But Jesus made it clear that tainted food isn’t the biggest threat to our “humanity,” its what comes out of our mouths and lives that reveals we’re already tainted, already corrupt. (Matthew 15:16-20)
We do need saving. In “Mimzy,” a scientist hopes to find salvation in the pure-and-innocent genes of a child. In reality, it is only available through the innocent blood of the Son of God spilled to pay the price for our polluted hearts.
Questions
• Did you dig “Mimzy” more than I did? Why or why not?
• Do you think “Mimzy” might have worked better as a horror movie?
• What’s your favorite movie starring a cute little kid?
• Do you think of kids as being naturally wise or foolish? Why do you think Jesus said we need to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven?
• Of the threats to humanity in the world today, where do you rank pollution to the environment? How important is it that we protect creation? Do you think Christians focus enough on this issue? Why or why not?
