The Last Mimzy is a film that I hope represents the future of children's science fiction. It is a future without bone-crunching comic book super heroes or malevolent movie bad guys or self-absorbed parents - a film that respects a child's intelligence, not to mention a kid's need to dream like a kid. I suggest Mimzy for anyone who has children, is fond of children, knows of children, or wants to simply feel really, really good about a film without being pandered to or suffer that condescending 'tude from Hollywood filmmakers who think they can sneak into your brain without you noticing.
There's an honest, earnest dreamlike quality to the film, a low-key, homespun feel to these two normal kids with two normal parents, who stumble upon a strange box-like artifact bobbing in the Seattle surf.
Ten year old Noah (Chris O'Neil) and his younger sister, Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) bring the box home. It contains several toys, including a worn, plush bunny that emits a strangely soothing electronic chirp. Emma is immediately drawn to the stuffed animal, whose name, she declares, is "Mimzy." Noah is instead infatuated with a strange rectangle of sparkling glass that seems to have advanced mathematical and geometrical powers. And very soon thereafter, their lives begin to change.
In many ways, Mimzy is a clever, sci-fi tinged mystery thriller, and the toys are clues. The film manages to hold one's attention without resorting to pratfalls or, as mentioned, archetypal villains. There are, in fact, no real antagonists in this film. A few confused or misinformed adults hinder Noah and Emma's eventual challenge, but Mimzy seems to know its course. Even the inevitable government intervention (the movie's weakest device) provides little distraction. Yes, there are a few improbabilities, but kids won't notice. For the most part, the film remains delightfully unpredictable - so the less you know about it, the better.
You may observe a few thematic similarities to E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, but I can overlook these parallels. Steven Spielberg's E.T. is 25 years old after all, and Mimzy is based on a short sci-fi tale "Mimzy Were the Borogoves" published in 1943, long before E.T. ever phoned home.
Several references are made to Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" and Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd fame) sings out the closing credits, with a casual reference to "the dark side of the moon." So any perceived trippiness you encounter isn't accidental. In fact, the word psychedelic seems occasionally appropriate, although it's marginal and kids won't be aware.
The Last Mimzy is an unapologetic New Age ode to, essentially, the evolution (and survival) of the human race - and I kind of like that. Despite our mounds of Styrofoam, our SUVs and our blithe 'excessism,' perhaps every so often we can still pull a rabbit out of our collective hat. This particular bunny's name is Mimzy.
