the last mimzy
March 16, 2007
The Michigan Theater had a special advance screening of The Last Mimzy, a new movie by Bob Shaye, and we all trotted down to see it. You may not know Bob Shaye’s name, but you do know his work: he founded New Line Cinema and produced the Lord of the Rings triology, among many other things. He’s also a UM alum, and chose to do one of the very first screenings (the film doesn’t open til next week) right here in Ann Arbor.
It was terrific. It’s rated PG, and I think that’s accurate, but only because of the complexity of the story. I think it would mostly bore/confuse the 4 – 7 crowd, but my 9 and 11 really enjoyed it. It’s a tale of the power of the innocence of youth, and will having you cheering like you did in ET and Close Encounters. It’s based on a 50 year old sci-fi story by Lewis Padgett, Mimsy were the Borogoves, but screenwriters Bruce Joel Rubin & Toby Emmerich have crafted a version that is relevant for today. We all enjoyed it very much – Sam’s first words as the credits rolled were “This should be the movie of the year!”
Both Shaye and Rubin were on hand for questions after the screening, and a couple mics were placed in the aisles on the main floor. The screening was ostensibly for the UM screenwriting students, but many of the first batch of questions came from young kids, with questions about how they got the idea for the story or how they did the special effects. At one point, Shaye got a bit choked up answering a sort of philosophical question about the meaning of the film – this was one of the very first screenings and he was on the stage looking out at this theater packed with all different kinds of people who wanted to see his film. You could see from the look on his face that he had just been hit with the power of what happens when you realize that your artistic creation has truly moved others. It was very sweet and human and touching.
Jack was sitting next to me and raised his hand to ask a question. As we were sitting in the balcony, I told him to go downstairs to the mic. He gave me a stern look and said, “I think I can project just fine” and put his hand back up. He seemed intent on asking his question, so I insisted he go down rather than be overlooked.
He marched down and waited his turn, and when it was, with complete sincerity, charm and a confidence and aplomb well beyond his years, said
So, do bugs and spiders – well, this is a two-part question – do bugs and spiders really react to soundwaves and can they be controlled that way?
The audience laughed, not a mean-spirited laugh, but a laugh acknowledging the seemingly naive question coming from this self-assured and well-spoken but very little boy.
Shaye smiled too, and answered, much in the spirit of the movie, that it depends on how open your mind still is. This also drew a knowing laugh from the crowd.
Without missing a beat, Jack responded with an absolutely dead-pan “Very funny.” The crowd fell about laughing and clapping at his comeback. Yes, my son, my 11 year old son, managed to get the last word in on one of the most powerful men in Hollywood.
Keith thought Shaye’s obtuse answer was because he hadn’t thought about the plausibility of it before putting it in the movie (it’s part of the plot), but I really do think it was the right answer. A big part of the movie was that as we become adults, we lose the ability to see wonder and to believe that things which look impossible may actually be possible. Shaye was just addressing that wonder – do any of us really know the answer to Jack’s question? – and while the audience laugh was amusing, the message of the movie is what will stick. Hold on to the innocence, hold on to the wonder. That’s where we need to be if we’re going to do great and impossible things.
It is absolutely wonderful to finally see what I feel is an accurate and insightful review on Mimsy. I saw this movie last evening and was absolutely delighted by it! I got the same sort of mind-opening and stirring feelings of wonder I remember from movies like “Contact” (and it seemed to have a similar potential depth if thought the book did) whilest also having feelings similar to movies like ET, Matilda, or Hook. It’s approach was also very elegant- rather than feeling like “just another kids movie” in style, it managed to balance child-like appeal with realism and seriousness. In other words- it wasn’t too goofy, and thus I was not thrown out of the experience by the “cheesy-factor” that happened at the very end of the movie “Happy Feet” for me.
As an adult I still love to experience children’s movies- because oddly enough there were only certain ones that entertained me completely as a child, and those same ones still entertain me now. There had to be a depth and potential to them.
I think the theme you mentioned- the idea of an open mind, that is present throughout the movie- can be brought down to a more practical level. Not just the far-reaching “have open minds to the future…”, but rather a very practical level. What is common-place today would have seemed like fantasy one hundred years ago. What WILL be common-place one hundred years from now… well, it is very likely much of the fantasy of today has elements we might see.
People often label the religious crowd as the close-minded ones, however I think this movie does an interesting turnabout as fair play. The scientific community at the end of the nineteenth century was very close-minded and convinced we had reached the peak of our understanding of the world. Now, many seek to explain everything through our own limitted scientific understanding. We say “if it isn’t explainable by science, it’s fantasy”… but what those who say that often mean is, if it isn’t explainable by our CONCEPTION of science now, limitted as it is.
This movie illustrates that fact very well. The great explorers of scientific terrain were able to do so because they didn’t let “That simply isn’t scientifically possible” block them. For all we know, the miraculous happenings recorded in mythology and religions might be possible exactly as recorded- with a scientific advacement far beyond what we presently have.
So yes- it will take open minds to grasp that, and to pursue it. I believe that is why fantasy and science fiction authors are often the true forerunners of long term scientific advancement. We see what our imaginations feel COULD be, based on the limitted knowledge of science we have now, and expand into that world. It is by keeping a part of the child-like wonder in us alive we are able to do this.
-Patrick