Themes: Miraculous Events, Priceless Artifacts and Prized Objects, Psychic Abilities
Main Cast: Chris O'Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton, Rainn Wilson
Release Year: 2007
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye's directorial debut, the family-friendly science-fiction tale The Last Mimzy is an adaptation of a short story by Lewis Padgett. The story concerns a young brother and sister, Noah and Emma Wilder (Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn), who discover a strange box of artifacts one day while vacationing at the family's summer cottage. When the objects in the box begin to act in strange and mysterious ways, the pair decides to hide it from their mother (Joely Richardson) and workaholic father (Timothy Hutton). When Noah begins to display a previously unknown flair for advanced scientific concepts, the boy's teacher (Rainn Wilson) takes an interest in him. The two youngsters soon become the object of much interest from the government after their new discovery causes a large blackout. Eventually, the duo discovers that they are responsible for helping save the future of humankind, and Emma's precious stuffed rabbit might be something much more than it appears to be. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Review
As the longtime head of New Line Cinema, Robert Shaye showed a keen talent for coming up with the iconic element that helps sell a big movie. From the creative kills of the Nightmare on Elm Street series to the vast spectacle of the Lord of the Rings films, Shaye built an impressive empire as an executive producer by finding the hook in a movie that makes it memorable. The Last Mimzy was his first attempt at directing a feature, and the finished film definitely reflects his talent for finding and playing up the epic movie moment. The appealing low-tech special effects and the childhood sense of wonder that permeate the film help sell what is actually a very gentle and humanistic story. When it's not inspiring awe with big bangs and moments of excitement, the film offers some lovely passages, particularly the extended sequence where the children (Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) discover the mysterious items sent to them from the future. The two young performers radiate an innocence and an inquisitiveness that's reflected in the overall tone of the film, highlighting the movie's respect for children's innate sense of wonder. These enthralling sections help gloss over the film's imperfections, like clunky scenes that include an overly frightening sequence, lifted shamelessly from E.T., where a happy family moment is shockingly interrupted by uniform-clad government agents who abduct the foursome and place them in black vans. This is one of only two scenes where the film emotionally clobbers the audience, but adults can forgive Shaye these moments because his heart is in the right place. He treats his actors very well, especially Rainn Wilson, who offers welcome support as the young boy's science teacher, giving the children another adult they can trust. Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton suffer slightly in the roles of the parents, largely because the screenplay seems to arbitrarily change their attitudes and their motivations a from scene to scene. But such discrepancies are easy to dismiss because Shaye understands how to sell the big scenes that stay with an audience after the movie is over. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Ross Dempster - Art Director, The Orphanage - Animator, Cameron Sonerson - Animator, Jonna Smith - Associate Producer, Donald D. Brown - Boom Operator, Margery Simkin - Casting, Lynne Carrow - Casting, Susan Brouse - Casting, Howard Shore - Conductor, Karen Matthews - Costume Designer, Mike Topoozian - First Assistant Director, Robert Shaye - Director, Alan Heim - Editor, Sara Risher - Executive Producer, Robert Shaye - Executive Producer, Justis Greene - Executive Producer, Catou Kearney - Location Manager, Randy Jablonka - Lighting, Todd Martin - Lighting, Shawn Milstead - Lighting, Howard Shore - Composer (Music Score), Douglas Craik - Camera Operator, Brian Rose - Camera Operator, Barry Chusid - Production Designer, J. Michael Muro - Cinematographer, Michael Phillips - Producer, Matt Patterson - Recording, Tim Gomillion - Recording, Dennis Rogers - Recording, Lawrence Manchester - Recording, Andrei Andrianko - Set Designer, Peter Bodnarus - Set Designer, Yuri Afanasiev - Set Designer, Lawrence Manchester - Sound Mixer, Dane A. Davis - Sound/Sound Designer, Danetracks, Inc. - Sound/Sound Designer, Gerald Paetz - Stunts, Sharon Simms - Stunts, Cody Laudan - Stunts, Joanna Coons - Stunts, Brin Alexander - Stunts, Marny Eng - Stunts Coordinator, Alex Burdett - Special Effects Supervisor, Brian Greene - Technical Advisor, Susan Smalley - Technical Advisor, Justis Greene - Unit Production Manager, Heather Meehan - Unit Production Manager, James V. Hart - Screen Story, Carol Skilken - Screen Story, Bruce Joel Rubin - Screenwriter, Toby Emmerich - Screenwriter, Tony Clark - Visual Effects Supervisor, Stu Maschwitz - Visual Effects Supervisor, Greg Hedgepath - Sound Effects Editor, Ian Doig - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Brad McDonald - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Grace Doig - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Daniela Calafatello - Model Effects, Lee Anne Muldoon - Unit Publicist, Hans Bjerno - Aerial Photography, James Flynn - Associate Editor, Lee Blasingame - First Assistant Camera, Mark Cohen - First Assistant Camera, Michael Mayo - Gaffer, Ken Hemphill - Grip, Donnie Armstrong - Grip, Aaron Wik - Grip, Dillard Brinson - Key Grip, Kevin McCloy - Key Grip, Angie Rubin - Music Editor, Jen Monnar - Music Editor, Diane Caliva - Post Production Supervisor, Frank Salvino - Post Production Supervisor, Brett Davies - Production Coordinator, Nancy McKenzie - Production Coordinator, Bryan Korenberg - Properties Master, Paul Massey - Re-Recording Mixer, David Giammarco - Re-Recording Mixer, Tracy Young - Script Supervisor, Cindy Smith - Second Assistant Director, Tony Kochan - Special Effects Assistant, Adam Tayler - Special Effects Assistant, Paul Benjamin - Special Effects Assistant, Hagen Mark - Special Effects Assistant, Cara E. Anderson - Special Effects Assistant, Shane Harvey - Still Photographer, Dane A. Davis - Supervising Sound Editor, Bill R. Dean - Supervising Sound Editor, Mark G. Soper - Visual Effects Producer, Carmen Lee - Art Department Assistant, Nina Ross - Assistant Art Director, Liz Goldwyn - Assistant Art Director, Janice MacIsaac - Assistant Costumer Designer, Dean Scheck - Assistant Hair, Peter Klassen - Assistant Location Manager, Julie Anne Slater - Assistant Location Manager, Megan Davies - Assistant Makeup, Haida Greenleaf Harper - Assistant Properties, Ken Anderson - Best Boy Electric, Travis Demeyer - Best Boy Electric, David R. Klassen - Best Boy Electric, Rick Stadder - Best Boy Grip, Lynette Therrien - Casting Assistant, Justine Hempe - Casting Associate, Tawny Gurrola - Casting Associate, Dayton Nietert - Chief Lighting Technician, Doug Hardwick - Construction Coordinator, Steven Vincent Holloway - Costumes Supervisor, Gil Forrester - Dolly Grip, Mike West - Dolly Grip, Danny Stoltz - Extra Casting, Barbara Mercer - First Assistant Accountant, Samantha Quinn - First Assistant Accountant, Caroline Hardon - First Assistant Editor, Alicia Stevenson - Foley Artist, Dawn Fintor - Foley Artist, Robert Pandini - Key Hairstylist, Monica Huppert - Key Make-up, Rick Schultz - Leadman, Kevin Clark - Leadman, Natalie Lapointe - Personal Assistant, Joy Mann - Personal Assistant, Magdalena Sikorska - Personal Assistant, Carmen Siegers - Personal Assistant, Judy Blinick - Post Production Accountant, Theresa Edinger - Production Accountant, Jill Anderson - Production Accountant, Carol Jensen - Production Accountant, Jon Davidson - Production Controller, Leon Dudevoir - Production Executive, Shelley Collins - Scenic Artist, Steven Reintjes - Scenic Artist, Alex Martinez - Second Assistant Camera, Carrie Wilson - Second Assistant Camera, Adam Catt - Set Dresser, Marc Messenger - Storyboard Artist, Philip Keller - Storyboard Artist, Nelson Dewey - Storyboard Artist, Emily Glatter - Supervising Production Coordinator, Greg Farmer - Transportation Captain, Scott Irvine - Transportation Coordinator, David Holm - Transportation Coordinator, The Orphanage - Visual Effects, Eric Durst - Visual Effects, Rose Marie McSherry - Set Decorator, Sharon Gottlieb - Set Decorator, Erik Holmberg - Co-Executive Producer, Julia Evershade - ADR Supervisor, Barbara Harris - ADR Voice Casting, Jim Passon - Color Timing, Michael McLeod - Construction Foreman, Mark Stainthorpe - Construction Foreman, Mike Thompson - Craft Service/Catering, Edible Planet - Craft Service/Catering, Phil Parker - Driver, Janice Tayler - Driver, Kelly Charlton - Driver, John Oliver - Driver, Terry Newton - Driver, Allan W. Baxter - Driver, Keith Lapp - Driver, Murray Mills - Driver, Ramon DeFazio - Driver, RG Miller - Driver, Jason Lapp - Driver, W. Dohery - Driver, Ross Wilkinson - Driver, Ken Ray - Driver, Dave Weston - Driver, Rodney Beech - Driver, Herb Langill - Driver, Bob Thorner - Driver, Gary James Gleeson - Driver, Al Morgan - Driver, Gary Hamm - Driver, David Betancourt - Foley Mixer, Roger Bailey - Generator Operator, Gary Burritt - Negative Cutter, Jim Filippone - Pilot, Michael McGee - Production Sound Mixer, Mike Thompson - Set Medic/First Aid, Bernhard Eichholz - Special Effects Technician, Dan Rebert - Special Effects Technician, Alan McFarland - Special Effects Technician, Thomas Bacho - Special Effects Technician, Adrian Diepold - Third Assistant Director, West Media Incorporated - Video Playback, Scott E. Anderson - Visual Effects Editor, Ivan Landau - Visual Effects Editor, Nicole Ratcliffe - Visual Effects Editor, Carie Wallis - Art Department Coordinator, Jeff Potokar - Assistant Music Editor, Nancy Barker - First Assistant Sound Editor, Wil Madoc Rees - Illustrator, Robert M. Kalaful - Illustrator, Mark Rathgeber - Head Carpenter, Grant Wildi - Head Carpenter, Harvey Gibbons - Head Carpenter, Ralph Meyer - Head Carpenter, Terry Foerster - Head Carpenter, Duncan Bell-Irving - Scenic Carpenter, Robert Schwenk - Scenic Carpenter, Sayuri Katayama - Scenic Carpenter, Kim Magee - Scenic Carpenter, Jesse Russell - Compositor, Barry Safley - Compositor, Steve Cho - Compositor, Woei Hsi Lee - Compositor, Michael Kennen - Compositor, You Jin Choung - Compositor, Can Chang - Compositor, Stephen DeLuca - Compositor, Alex Gitler - Compositor, Stephen Jaworski - Compositor, Christian Kaestner - Compositor, Heath Kraynak - Compositor, Michael Lester - Compositor, Kyle McCulloch - Compositor, Natalie Nolan - Compositor, Ralph Procida - Compositor, Jared Sandrew - Compositor, Benjamin Stokes - Compositor, Patrick Wass - Compositor, Alex Prichard - Lead Compositor, Tiffany Wu - Rotoscope Artist, Owen Calouro - Rotoscope Artist, Sunghwan Hong - Rotoscope Artist, Soyoun Lee - Rotoscope Artist, Bee Jin Tan - Rotoscope Artist, Tiffany Wu - Matchmove Artist, Brian Tolle - Matchmove Artist, Jessica Lai - Matchmove Artist, Aidan Mackesy - Matchmove Artist, Charles Schwartz - Matchmove Artist, Greg Tse - Matchmove Artist, Junko Watanabe - Painter (digital), Eric Texier - Painter (digital), Douglas R. MacMillan - Painter (digital), Kenneth Wesley - Painter (digital), Will Anielewicz - Painter (digital), Mike Kelleher - Painter (digital), Bela Brozsek - Painter (digital), Josh Cardenas - Painter (digital), Michael Champman - Painter (digital), Ross DeYoung - Painter (digital), Rony Edde - Painter (digital), Nathaniel Hunter - Painter (digital), Brian Kulig - Painter (digital), Fred Lewis - Painter (digital), Sean Murphy - Painter (digital), Jae Wook Park - Painter (digital), Lewis Padgett - Short Story Author
Presented as a flashback, The Last Mimzy is the story of a distant future's attempt to avert a catastrophic ecological disaster that has destroyed their world. High tech devices, masquerading as toys, are sent back in time into the hands of Noah and Emma, two children who live with their parents Jo (Joely Richardson) and David (Timothy Hutton) in early 21st century Seattle. The "toys" are mostly incomprehensible to Emma and Noah, except for what appears to be a stuffedrabbit named Mimzy. Sensing the strangeness of the devices, the children initially keep their discovery a secret from their parents.
Interaction with the devices causes the children to develop increased intelligence and psychic capabilities, including teleportation of objects, telepathy, levitation, telekinesis, and the ability to communicate with arthropods. Emma becomes emotionally attached to Mimzy, from which she learns how to further operate the devices. The children's unusual abilities and Emma's obsessive attachment to Mimzy soon alert their parents and schoolteachers to the devices; later, a power black-out of the entire Pacific northwest caused by the toys alerts the FBI to their activities as well. The family is held for questioning, and it is revealed that Mimzy is actually an advanced form of artificial life utilizing nanotechnology created by Intel Corporation. Mimzy has brought a message from humanity's future, which Emma explains to mean that pollution has corrupted humanity's DNA. Many rabbits like Mimzy were sent to the past, but none had successfully returned; Mimzy is the last one remaining. Mimzy explains to the children that they must use the toys as a time machine to return her to the future with uncorrupted 21st century DNA, which the people of the future can use to correct the damage to their DNA caused by the ecological problems.
Despite attempts by an unbelieving FBI to hinder them, Noah and Emma use their psychic powers to escape with Mimzy and the other objects and are able to activate the time portal by which Mimzy can return to the future. Fortunately, Mimzy carries with it a tear of Emma's, thus providing the pure DNA required to prevent the disaster. In the new future, Emma is revered as the "mother" of all the present generations, and the children exhibit the same psychic gifts that Emma had developed. The world has become a more beautiful place, where it is presumed that humanity has integrated better into the natural ecosystems.
Critical response to The Last Mimzy ranged from saying it holds appeal for family audiences — especially children — to describing the storyline as cluttered and distracting. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 53% approval rate saying "The Last Mimzy makes efforts to be a fun children's movie, but unsuccessfully juggles too many genres and subplots -- eventually settling as an unfocused, slightly dull affair."[4] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called it, "Wholesome, eager entertainment that doesn't talk down", agreeing with Ken Fox of TV Guide's Movie Guide who said it was "a thoughtful and sincere interpretation that might actually get kids and their guardians thinking and talking."[5][6] Calling the film "lightweight", the Atlanta Journal-Constitution rated it a "small gem".[7] Many of the critics found the plot burdened with irrelevant, distracting elements, saying it "simply collapses under the considerable weight of its many bewildering plot elements".[8][9]The Chicago Sun-Times went as far as to say The Last Mimzy is an "emotionless empty shell" compared to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[10] Critics diverge about the scientific validity of the film. Reviewer Susan Granger said, "There’s some validity to the challenging science depicted in the film, according to Dr. Brian Greene, Columbia University physics professor, and Dr. Susan Smalley, UCLA neurobehavioral genetics professor"[11]; by contrast, Rick Norwood (The SF Site) writes, "The Last Mimzy has carefully expunged all of the ideas from the story, and replaced them with the New Age nonsense that passes for ideas these days. They have also taken a very personal story about one family and a box of toys from the future and turned it into an epic story in which childlike innocence saves the human race".[1]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for the film was composed by Howard Shore, the award winning composer behind the scores of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters also collaborated on a song called "Hello (I Love You)". "I think together we've come up with a song that captures the themes of the movie - the clash between humanity's best and worst instincts, and how a child's innocence can win the day" Roger Waters commented.[12]
