Mimesis (2011) Reviews

• It had its moments, but ultimately it didn't fully deliver...

  paul_haakonsen2013-02-11

  Well, to fully appreciate this movie for what it is, then you have to be an avid fan of the zombie genre, and especially of "Night of the Living Dead". I can say that I am both those things, but still I found this movie to be somewhat disappointing. Sure there were some great moments here and there, and it was especially great to revisit the house and feel like being back at the location of "Night of the Living Dead". On that account, the movie makers managed to accomplish something great. However, on the story part of the movie, then the movie makers didn't really fully deliver anything solid. The idea of re-inventing something from a movie into real life does seem interesting, yes I will admit to that, but ultimately this movie failed to leave a lasting impression. What turned out to be not so great was the way that it was executed and the way that these "zombies" looked. Not to mention the motive behind it all, it was just a little bit too campy. I was initially lured in to watching this as it allegedly was a zombie movie, plus it had Sid Haig on the billing list. Yeah, he was in the movie around perhaps five minutes or so, so don't get suckered in to this with these factors as I was. You'll just end up sorely disappointed. As for the acting, well people did good enough jobs with their given roles, it was just the script itself that didn't give the actors and actresses much to work with. "Mimesis" is not really a good movie if you are looking for some zombie entertainment. The movie does, however, have some entertainment value if you are a hardcore fan of the "Night of the Living Dead" movie. But as for a regular zombie movie, then "Mimesis" failed on a grand scale. And you might just also find some enjoyment in "Mimesis" if you are the type that appreciate low-budget indie movies. The best thing about this entire movie was the tribute it paid to "Night of the Living Dead" and the entire atmosphere they managed to build up, because it was really like re-visiting the classic movie (in either the original or re-make version). Having seen it once, then I can honestly say that I will not be making a second watching out of this, because there simply isn't enough entertainment value in it.

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• Self aware but not Smarmy

  cashiersducinemart2013-02-12

  It's refreshing to see a film that knows the true meaning of the word "homage" -- something done or given in acknowledgment or consideration of the worth of another -- rather than "rip off," which is something we see far too often in films, especially horror movies. Douglas Schulze's Mimesis is a clever homage to George Romero's Night of the Living Dead on one hand and a modern "thrill killer" movie on the other. After an opening scare starring Courtney Gaines, the audience is taken to a horror convention where Alphonze Betz (Sid Haig) rails against the media blaming horror movies for real life horrors. In the audience are Russell (Taylor Piedmonte) and his unlikely pal Duane (Allen Maldonado). Russell is a horror fan while Duane is more keen on meeting some of the hotties at the con including Judith (Lauren Mae Shafer), a goth girl who invites the boys to a party later that night. Thinking he'll get some, Duane convinces Russell to drive out to the spooky farmhouse where they encounter some out-of-place regular people and a number of silent, spooky dudes all made up in makeup. Before the party gets too "dick in the mashed potatoes" crazy, Russell and Duane are down for the count, waking up dressed in different clothes and hanging out in some eerily familiar settings. There's no "They're coming to get you, Barbara!" line in Mimesis but much of the rest of Night of the Living Dead is there as our protagonists find themselves cast in a living remake of the film, complete with flesh-tearing zombies. Thus, Mimesis becomes a film with disparate characters trapped in a farmhouse with a menacing presence outside but the presence isn't supernatural, it's psychotic. Additionally, the script by Schulze and Joshua Wagner is incredibly self-aware, playing with and against the plot of NOTLD along with more current films where strangers toy with innocents (Them, Inside, High Tension, etc.).

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• Mimesis 2011 Port Huron Michigan 10-07-2011 Premier

  steve_k480602011-10-07

  Just saw the premier showing of this last night at the McMorran Complex in Port Huron, Michigan. All (or most of) the actors and actresses were at the showing which made it all that much more interesting. I have to say that I enjoyed this movie very much, even if it were a little bit on the "campy" side. But perhaps that is because I am biased. I am also a big fan of the original Night of the Living Dead Romero Classic from the late 1960's. This movie was made on similar budget as that, albeit updated to the current price of movie making as compared to 40 or so years ago. The effects were good enough to grab most of the audiences attention as far as the reactions went, including myself! It was nearly a sold out movie theater, and I can tell you from the unemployment in this part of the world that is a rare thing in this town for sure! Let me say that it gave me a bit of the "Halloween Spirit" that I haven't had for a few years now. Dare I say it made me giddy? Anyways, I would definitely recommend this indie as a must see for the low(er) budget horror flick fan.

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• A Mimecess-pool of disappointment

  Gluck-32014-04-24

  I have a very high tolerance for "bad" movies (a term I even have an aversion to use), with a tendency to accentuate the positive. Yet I ran out of patience with this one surprisingly soon. Maybe what did "Mimesis" in was that the idea was pretty wonderful, and the promise of fun inherent in playing with such a beloved and classic movie was tremendous. I was hooked, and was very interested in seeing how the story unfolded. Quick bright sides included the selection of an actress who sweetly resembled the blonde from "Night of the Living Dead" (of "They're coming to get you, Barbara" fame), and as I discovered now, the choice of character names following the first names of the original actors. Very nice touches, indicating a loving homage - which further serves to disappoint, given the dismal end result. Immediately, the film formed frowns. The hero, Duane (AKA, "the black guy"), for example, gives a glass of water to his fallen friend Russell, as obvious as it appears that his throat is chewed off. The reason why the filmmakers did this was to show the water spurting out of the throat, a choice of effect over sanity. Duane carries Russell out front only to be confronted by zombies who are not making any sudden and threatening moves. Duane decides to leave Russell at the mercy of the zombies, threatening one's suspension of belief in a very uncomfortable way. This was only the beginning, however. Example after example of unbelievable moves by the players followed in quick succession. I did not make a list of them, not planning on composing a review, but off the top of my head the group finally encounters a mysterious newcomer upstairs, catching on that he is not what he seems. Except for the mother and daughter, the whole group is together, and in unison there should be strength. One measly zombie appears, and what do they do, particularly with two strong men among them? They rush into a room, locking the door behind them. Absolutely ridiculous. What's more, they lock the newcomer out. How could they possibly do this, given that the newcomer was on the verge of spilling the beans as to why this madness was happening to them. Once again, the choice of plot expedience (he is shown to get killed, but there will be a twist later, during a critical moment when one of the group gets cornered) over reasonableness. Let's not be naive; horror movies in particular can be notorious for stupid plot turns, but when it's one after the other after the other, in such blatant and glaring fashion, the danger point can easily be reached in getting the viewer disconnected. Even with the minor and not overt aspects, the filmmakers constantly display their comfort with a lazy and insensible screenplay; they are only concerned with having the story roll along, no matter what. For example, the masterminds apparently hired actors to play the zombies. (Among others, the large bald man, the long-haired one with the pitchfork, and the lady who took a bite out of the mother's leg.) What actor would possibly expose him or herself to the possibility of death or serious injury, in the playing of a role? (And on the other side of the coin, why would they have consented to commit deadly violence upon others?) The undoing of the movie, in short, is a total contempt for the intelligence of the audience. The resulting disgust on the part of the viewers becomes all the more enhanced, given that the film could have been so much more. The number of glowing reviews for "Mimesis" here at the IMDb is stupefying. Hardly far-fetched to conclude at least some are the handiwork of production insiders, which is somehow a poetic fit to the dishonesty of the movie. As a final note, I was curious about the identity of the police "lieutenant" interviewed at the very end, so charmingly wooden, I suspected he was given the role for his probable connection with "Night of the Living Dead" - as perhaps another example of a loving homage. Unfortunately, this person does not appear to be among the IMDb's cast listing. .

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• Highly original and quite entertaining effort

  kannibalcorpsegrinder2014-03-11

  After getting drugged at a horror convention's after-party, a group of friends awake to find themselves forced to play a live-action role-playing-game based on a famous horror movie and must utilize their knowledge to get away alive. This turned out to be far better than it really should've been. Perhaps the film's greatest virtue amongst itself is the clever and highly original storyline present as the film does boast a pretty unique gimmick of trapping horror fans in a retelling of a classic horror film and forcing them to recreate the events of the film for their own amusement, and it does a fairly close job of recreating it throughout. The clothes, the setting, the general look and feel of the whole effort as well as the use of piping in the actual movie on a closed-circuit TV to rattle them even more makes for a rather unique and clever style here that really helps this one develop into more than just a loving homage and a chance to re-work some of the original bits and gags from the movie. This turns it into a rather fun and original way to do the homage in a different way and is certainly a very new concept that's employed here. That this allows the film to really up the gore and action content that was missing from the originally-aped film makes this even more fun with tons of splatter and gore that was missing from the original as well as bringing about some rather tense confrontations that arise here from the different encounters here. While the film does dip somewhat once we learn the truth about what's going on within as the twist about the intent behind the drugging does seem quite far-fetched there's still a couple fine chases in the later half to make for a rather fine mix of chills, blood-splatter and cheese. There's one rather glaring problem here, beyond the fact that this just seems like an excuse to remake the original for their own purpose, in that for such a landmark and legendary film they run through only one person has seen it among the group, which makes no sense at all and really stretches believability here with something that influential and massive. It would've been more fun had everyone been aware and fans so that they all have the ability to outwit the killers that way, yet here it's just the one and it really seems like a stretch. Otherwise, this one is a lot of fun. Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

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