The Last Mimzy

The Last Mimzy – Siblings, Noah and Emma, find a mysterious box in the ocean while on a family vacation which contains some unusual objects including a stuffed rabbit called Mimzy which Emma can somehow communicate with. Showing signs of enhanced intelligence and new abilities, the children embark upon an adventure which will change their lives forever.

The Last Mimzy (2007) – Director: Bob Shaye

Rating: PG

Running Length: 90 mins

Starring: Chris O’Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Joely Richardson

Genre: Drama, Action/Adventure, Science Fiction

REVIEW: ‘THE LAST MIMZY’

‘The Last Mimzy’ follows the adventures of siblings Noah and Emma (Chris O’Neill and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn respectively) who discover a mysterious box that has a message from another world. The pair struggle to decipher what it is they are being asked to do, and the cryptic puzzle permeates the movie. The main part of the message is contained within a toy rabbit which calls itself ‘Mimzy’ which ‘talks’ to whoever loves it, so it is lucky that Emma immediately takes to it (another person may not have been so interested!). It is unfortunate that the message isn’t more clearly revealed throughout the story as it would make it much more interesting, only letting the audience know what is going on at the very end makes it lack the pay off that the build up promised beforehand.

It is nice to have a family movie that appeals to all members of the family which has two young protagonists to carry it but it is a real shame that ‘The Last Mimzy’ is just a little bit dull. The science fiction element is too subtle and mysterious to evoke any excitement, the drama is dragged out and the only action in the movie – the FBI Investigation – only gathers momentum towards the end so it wraps up and comes to a close abruptly, so even this attempt at excitement is too short-lived to make an impact.

‘The Last Mimzy’ isn’t a bad film; it is charming, enjoyable, family friendly and both leads are easy to warm to, however its lack of pace and somewhat boring subject matter is unlikely to appeal to younger kids and it’s not grown up enough for teenagers or adults to want to watch it on their own. With other, better such movies out there, it is unlikely that ‘The Last Mimzy’ will be a first choice for kids, even at the age that would find it most enjoyable.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE LAST MIMZY’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Noah and Emma watch a cookery show where seafood is being prepared. At one point, a chef puts a live lobster into a pot of boiling water and a live crab is crushed with a block of wood. Emma pulls a disgusted face saying ‘yuck, they killed it’ and Noah describes the burger that she is eating as ‘chopped up cow’, she promptly spits out what is in her mouth.

Mimzy, the toy rabbit that Emma finds in the strange box talks to her secretly in a distorted electronic voice, the words it uses are rarely clear or loud enough to be understood by anyone but Emma. Children could be a little disturbed by the creepiness of this. Although we appreciate that it is innocent and a positive thing for Emma, Mimzy’s intentions aren’t obvious until later in the movie and the trust that she immediately puts in the toy without question could be unsettling for parents, especially those who are concerned about internet safety (an unknown, mysterious, seemingly innocuous ‘stranger’ that only wishes to be heard by a child).

A man walks around his home wearing just a top and underwear, he sits next to his fiancée and repeatedly kisses her, after a few seconds, he opens her top slightly and kisses her neck and chest. While it is clear to adults that this is likely to become physical, it is not gratuitous so kids probably won’t realise that anything else will happen

Two parts of an alien machine force themselves together, they change shape, emit an increasingly loud, pulsing/whirring noise. This goes on for around thirty seconds and, as it is unclear what is happening, this could be tense and frightening for some kids.

In several scenes, a vortex is created and whenever a character puts their hand/arm into it, it breaks down into tiny particles. This doesn’t hurt the character and they often do this for fun. At one point, they put their face into it and see into another world where a man who is shot by an alien, they are disturbed by this but the fear factor is minimal.

A SWAT team suddenly kick down the door of a family’s home and force their way inside armed with guns. A woman near the door is startled by this and screams and the rest of the family are very scared by the unexpected intrusion.

A girl gets her hand trapped in a machine that is about to disappear. She struggles and screams and her loved ones try desperately to help her. This scene lasts for around two minutes and becomes very intense; the girl’s distress could be upsetting for some kids.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE LAST MIMZY’ OK FOR KIDS?

‘The Last Mimzy’ is a pleasant, inoffensive family movie that sadly doesn’t have enough to its story to appeal to its target audience. While the content should be appropriate for all ages, we feel that kids aged under 7 are unlikely to find it interesting enough to enjoy it.

• Violence: 1/5
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (Mimzy is forcibly taken from Emma on several occasions. This causes her great distress each time)
• Fear Factor: 2/5
• Sexual Content: 2/5 (a teen girl and teen boy face each other and remove their outer clothes. The lighting puts the pair in silhouette but as they walk away from the camera, they appear to be naked. There is no sexual implication with this)
• Bad Language: 1/5 (infrequent mild blasphemy)
• Dialogue: 1/5 (a snippet of a news program is seen on the TV where a female reads, ‘In other news, forty are dead…’ the program is them switched to something else)
• Other notes: Deals with themes of family, alien technology, adults believing in and trusting their children, understanding that there is more to the world than what can be seen and people coming together for something that is greater than them.
• One character performs palm readings on two child characters. This is mostly light-hearted in nature but the reading does suggest that the character finds answers about the destiny of the children.

Words by Laura Record

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