|
What happens when you have a film franchise
that’s lacking in almost everything required of a good film? You use a
different approach. The “Mimic” series has been nothing but abysmal, and
it was only a matter of time before we had a film in the series that
tried it from a different perspective. In the “Sisters” angles,
“Sentinel” really uses the same set-up except with a different catch. An
invalid who really can’t step out too far from his house, experiences
the rise of a predator in his neighborhood. It’s one of those damn bugs
from the earlier movies, of course. And then Petty goes all out with our
character experiencing these events and murders at the hands of the
mimic bug through his camera, and our character Marvin’s attempts to
prove he witnessed these events. I was ready to peg this as a “Rear
Window” rip-off, but in actuality, it’s a rip off of “Sisters,” but
that’s not something I’m holding against it, really.
|
It’s not a great film, and it’s not
something I’d see again, but when compared to the dull as a
doornail “Mimic,” and the painfully stupid “Mimic 2,” this
really does rise up above the muck. And it helps that the
supporting players are Amanda Plummer who is entertaining as
Marvin’s overbearing mother.
She’s memorable as the leader of
the house who is over protective of Marvin, but doesn’t even
flinch at the prospect of her daughter dating a drug dealer.
|
|
 |
Plummer is great, and hell, she’s a win for
me thanks to “Pulp Fiction.” And of course, there’s Alexis Dziena who is
great tension relief as the sexy stoner daughter who pulls the act off
well. She’s quite humorous without taking away the dread from the film,
and it helps too that she’s a sex kitten, pure and simple. Any doubts
about that should be drawn to “Broken Flowers.” Petty’s new take on the
franchise is pretty good, and I loved the brief stints of CGI that were
obvious, but still pretty sleek in their brevity. Petty’s skills are not
in doubt here, as he paces the film well enough and draws out enough
characters to root for and dislike.
Anyone who sees this will know this is a
pure rip off of “Sisters,” front and back. The attempted psychoses, the
plot twists, our nosey neighbor and his inevitable discovery. Petty rips
shamelessly from the film, and while I came to accept it, it also works
against the film’s quality in which the film’s attempted complexities
come off as pure conceit and desperate. The film lacks anything nearing
an esoteric framework, especially since it involves a giant bug.
Meanwhile, Petty anxiously tries to keep the film up to the promises,
but there’s only so much that can be done with the story here. Which
explains why it’s very little over an hour, because with its limited
scenery, only so much is done, and there’s only so much time before the
events become tedious and all the characters are off. Another major
problem was the sub-plot involving Plummer’s odd attraction to the local
police officer who proceeds to respond to a murder call they make, and
then gets into bed with her. Not only is the sub-plot incredibly stupid
and flat, but it’s pointless padding that manages to add nothing to the
tension or suspense at all.
Alexis, be sure to e-mail me and I’ll send
you over my phone number, you are a cutey and a half. But I digress,
“Mimic: Sentinel” is a tolerable and entertaining sequel to an abysmal
franchise that rips from “Sisters,” shamelessly, but works because of
the great direction, and competent pacing. I’ll never see it again, but
I’d recommend it.
|
