Mimic

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Mimic

R

1997

1h 45m

Horror

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

When a cockroach-spread plague threatens to decimate the child population of New York City, evolutionary biologist Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) and her research associates rig up a species of "Judas" bugs and introduce them into the environment, where they will mimic the diseased roaches and infiltrate their grubby habitats. So far so good ... until the bugs keep on evolving and learn to mimic their next prey -- humans.

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Critics Consensus

Mimic finds director Guillermo del Toro struggling to inject his unique sensibilities into a studio picture - and delivering just enough genre thrills to recommend.

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Michael Bodey

The Age (Australia)

07/15/2025

3/5

Despite being predictable throughout, Del Toro directs with some flair and deserves to have audiences with him at the end.

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Carol Buckland

CNN.com

01/05/2018

Mimic will have entomophobes in the audience yearning to bug out, and scare-seekers squirming in their seats.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

01/01/2000

3.5/4

One does not attend Mimic hoping for more than a few new twists on the durable old idea; such movies, like thrill rides at parks, work every single time if they have been well planned and constructed. But Mimic is superior to most of its cousins.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Mar 25

3.5/5

Guillermo del Toro's director's cut adds some interesting context that was missing from its original theatrical release. But "Mimic" remains but a solid mid-level, late-'90s creature feature.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 17

3/4

Viewers will be forgiven for wanting to rush next door and douse their neighbors with RAID.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 11

3/5

Even after the confirmed studio interference, there's still enough of Guillermo del Toro's original vision intact to enjoy this urban creature feature.

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Richard L

@KaneLives Apr 29

Mimic might've been worth watching once if the first hour had been condensed into 30 minutes and sprinkled with some memorable gore, but instead we get narrative contrivance (the autistic kid is just plain insulting the audience), bog-standard plot progression, poor direction with more tension-killing cutaways than a Family Guy episode, and a 'horror movie' that somehow seems to forget that while bugs certainly look gross, they're not scary (regardless of their size) and no amount of generic horror film strings can make them so.

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B P

@Bradster69 Apr 8

Guillermo del Toro’s First English-Language Film is Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Eric S.

@PeachWolfer365 Mar 6

I didn’t expect much out of Mimic and I was pleasantly surprised. I love Guillermo Del Toro, it’s the only reason I gave Mimic a shot, and as someone who hates roach type bugs it had me utterly disgusted and horrified throughout the whole film. There’s enough valid science in the plot to make the story jarring which surprised me. I would wrap up by saying if you are a Del Toro fan, watch this movie. If you are a fan of cryptid/creature features you too will likely enjoy Mimic.

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Gi S

@Gistevenn Jan 2

I hate a nasty roach bug, so therefore i hate a movie about the dam things.

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Nick O

@Nicki1985 07/24/2025

A totally sick and very underrated giant killer bug flick! If there’s one thing Guillermo Del Toro knows, it’s his way around a monster movie!

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G M

@RT02295353 06/01/2025

I watched this as a kid and enjoyed. Have re watched it more than a few times and still very much enjoy it. It's a scary scifi monster movie and with awesome actors and a great director.

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Guillermo del Toro

Director

Mira Sorvino

Susan Tyler

Jeremy Northam

Peter Mann

Josh Brolin

Josh

Giancarlo Giannini

Manny

Charles S. Dutton

Officer Leonard Norton

Mimic: Official Clip - These Things Can Imitate Us

3:01

Mimic: Official Clip - A Bug Problem

2:10

Mimic: Official Clip - No Escape

1:55

Mimic: Official Clip - Entomology 101

2:25

Mimic: Official Clip - Lighting a Spark

2:13

Mimic: Official Clip - Leonard's Last Stand

2:18

Mimic: Official Clip - Bug Food

1:45

Mimic: Official Clip - There's Some Weird Sh*t Here

1:28

Mimic: Official Clip - Subway Slaying

2:10

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Synopsis

When a cockroach-spread plague threatens to decimate the child population of New York City, evolutionary biologist Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) and her research associates rig up a species of "Judas" bugs and introduce them into the environment, where they will mimic the diseased roaches and infiltrate their grubby habitats. So far so good ... until the bugs keep on evolving and learn to mimic their next prey -- humans.

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producer: Ole Bornedal, B.J. Rack, Bob Weinstein
Screenwriter: Donald A. Wollheim, Matthew Robbins, Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins, Guillermo del Toro
Production Co: Miramax Films, Baltimore Pictures, Dimension Films
Rating: R (Terror|Language|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 22, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.5M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)