Rated PG for some thematic elements, mild peril and language.
Directed by Robert Shaye (Book of Love)
Starring Chris O'Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Timothy Hutton, and Rainn Wilson
Without a doubt, one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time.
Based on the acclaimed sci-fi short story by Lewis Padgett, The Last Mimzy tells the story of two children, Noah (Chris O'Neil) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) Wilder who find a strange package on the beach while on vacation. They open the box and discover mysterious crystals that give them special powers as well as the Mimzy – a stuffed bunny with a built-in supercomputer. Emma can hear the Mimzy talking to her and Noah gains the ability to converse with spiders. They both begin to display above average intelligence. The children keep these “toys” from their parents (Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton), but eventually word gets out as they try to save the human race.
The story opens in the distant future; where children gather in the fields, picking flowers and listening to a telepathic teacher tell the story of the Last Mimzy. The story goes something like this: long ago the human genetic code was polluted and we had lost the ability for physical contact, until one brave scientist sent a box full of rocks and a stuffed bunny rabbit back in time. Seriously. That’s the first few minutes.
On most reviews I’ll admit that while I’m opinionated, I’m O.K. if you disagree. That is not the case here. This film is just plain awful. The only bright spot was Rainn Wilson (The Office) who co-stars as the hippie science teacher, and that was a very small spot.
The kids may be cute but their acting is poor and the pace never gets past “agonizingly slow,” not to mention the 90 minutes of over-the-top new age preaching.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No…in fact no one should see it.
Side Note:
As said above, we recommend you and your kids skip this film. But on the occasion that your teen actually has already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
