Mimic 2 (2001)

Copyright Dimension Films

Here we are, at the start of another Happy Horrorween, and I've brought you some more massive, man-impersonating bugs!  I promised this article the day after the last one... which was January 1st.  A little late, I know, but anyone who's seen this site knows that deadlines can sometimes get the best of me.  Nevertheless, I've got a great month planned out for you, so let's kick things off with Mimic 2!

This one shifts focus from Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino's character in the original) to Remy, her assistant, who is now a science teacher in an inner-city high school.  She's going to need all that scientific knowledge, as well as her experience as an entomologist, as a new member of the Judas Breed focuses in on her.

The film opens, much like the first, with another man running for his life from a cloaked figure.  Reaching the seeming safety of the streets, he's instead attacked and killed.  Later, when the police find him, he's been eviscerated and his face cut off.  The police identify the body and find a connection to Remy, who lives along in an apartment... an apartment where someone, or something, watches over her from outside the window.

This was an interesting one.  While overall, I don't feel it's better than the first, it does have its charms.  Instead of a whole colony of Judas Breed bugs, we largely have just one, and so far as I could tell, not a hint of CGI to it.  The effects worked well, too, and there were plenty of scares to be had.

The main woman, Remy, was played by Alix Koromzay, returning from the original.  When searching for other roles she's played on IMDb, I noticed that her character's name is spelled Remy for the first film, but Remi for the second one.  I went with the spelling from the first, since I figure that would probably override any script name changes.  She was also in 1997's Nightwatch, 1999's The Haunting, and Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (another series I'd like to eventually cover on this site).  Bruno Campos portrays Detective Klasky.  He doesn't have a lot of genre type titles in his resumé, but he was the voice for Prince Naveen in The Princess and the Frog, he had a role on an episode of Ghost Whisperer, and played Dr. Quentin Costa on Nip/Tuck.  Edward Albert played Darksuit, leader of the military unit sent to wipe out the Judas Breed threat.  A well-accomplished actor, he had a major role in the 1980s series Beauty and the Beast, played the Red Ranger's father on Power Rangers: Time Force, and 1982's The House Where Evil Dwells.

When this film came out, the critics weren't too kind to it.  Personally, I really enjoyed it.  I give this another 4 out of 5.  It stands alongside the original film really well.  Tomorrow, we'll see why the third film didn't, despite an excellent cast.  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!