The Last Mimzy: Difference between revisions
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'''''The Last Mimzy''''' is a [[2007 in film|2007]] [[science fiction]] family film directed by [[Bob Shaye]]. Based on the [[short story]] ''[[Mimsy were the Borogoves|Mimsy Were the Borogoves]]'' by [[Lewis Padgett]], it stars [[Timothy Hutton]] and [[Joely Richardson]] as parents of children who develop super-intelligence and [[preternatural]] powers after playing with toys discovered on a beach. |
'''''The Last Mimzy''''' is a [[2007 in film|2007]] [[science fiction]] family film directed by [[Bob Shaye]]. Based on the [[short story]] ''[[Mimsy were the Borogoves|Mimsy Were the Borogoves]]'' by [[Lewis Padgett]], it stars [[Timothy Hutton]] and [[Joely Richardson]] as parents of children who develop super-intelligence and [[preternatural]] powers after playing with toys discovered on a beach. |
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==Plot== |
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Loosely adapted from the acclaimed [[1943 in literature|1943]] science fiction short story, [[Mimsy were the Borogoves|Mimsy Were the Borogoves]], by Lewis Padgett (the pseudonym of husband and wife team [[Henry Kuttner]] and [[C. L. Moore]]), ''The Last Mimzy'' centers on two children, Noah and Emma. Their lives are changed when they encounter a mysterious |
Loosely adapted from the acclaimed [[1943 in literature|1943]] science fiction short story, [[Mimsy were the Borogoves|Mimsy Were the Borogoves]], by Lewis Padgett (the pseudonym of husband and wife team [[Henry Kuttner]] and [[C. L. Moore]]), ''The Last Mimzy'' centers on two children, Noah ([[Chris O'Neil (actor)|Chris O'Neil]]) and Emma ([[Rhiannon Leigh Wryn]]) Wilder. Their lives are changed when they encounter a mysterious box containing strange devices, presumed to be toys. |
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Presented as a flashback, ''The Last Mimzy'' is the story of a distant future's attempt to prevent, through [[time travel]], 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. The children and their parents, Jo ([[Joely Richardson]]) and David ([[Timothy Hutton]]), live in early 21<sup>st</sup> century [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]]. The "toys" are mostly incomprehensible to Emma and Noah, except for what appears to be a stuffed rabbit. Sensing the strangeness of the devices, the children initially keep their discovery a secret from their parents. |
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During the storytelling scenes, amongst a [[flower]]-filled [[prairie]] far in the future, a teacher describes to her students events from their distant past. Flashback to early 21<sup>st</sup> century [[Seattle]], where Noah is struggling at school, particularly in [[science]], and Emma, his younger sister, has a [[aptitude|knack]] for [[music]]. |
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Interaction with the devices causes the children to develop increased [[intelligence]] and [[Psychic|psychic]] capabilities, including [[teleportation]], the ability to communicate with spiders, [[telepathy]], [[psychokinesis|telekinesis]], and [[levitation]]. Emma becomes emotionally attached to the rabbit (Mimzy), from whom she learns how to further operate the devices. The children's unusual abilities and Emma's obsessive attachment to Mimzy soon alert their parents to the devices. Also, a [[power outage|power black-out]] of the entire Pacific northwest caused by the toys alerts the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)]] to their activities as well. The family is held for questioning, and it is revealed that Mimzy is actually an advanced form of [[Synthetic life|artificial life]] utilizing [[nanotechnology]]. Mimzy has brought a message from humanity's future, where pollution has nearly destroyed the world. Many rabbits like Mimzy were sent to the past, and Mimzy is the only one remaining. Mimzy explains that they must use the toys to return it to the future with uncorrupted 21<sup>st</sup> century [[DNA]], which can be used to stop pollutants from causing the ecological disaster. |
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On vacation at the beach, the children find a box washed up on shore while playing on the [[beach]]. Noah fetches it and it opens, revealing a compartment containing a green [[crystal]] [[quadrilateral]] pulsing with strange geometric patterns. Recognizing the strangeness of the "toy", Emma and Noah agree to keep it a [[secret]]. |
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Despite attempts by an unbelieving FBI to hinder them, Noah and Emma use their psychic powers to escape with Mimzy and are able to initiate the [[time machine|time transport]] so Mimzy can return to the future. Fortunately, Mimzy carries with it a [[Tears|tear]] from Emma, 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 in the future exhibit the same psychic gifts that Emma had developed. |
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That [[night]], Emma awakes and retrieves the box from under Noah's bed. The box opens and reveals more items in a lower compartment. They include [[geode]]s, a [[Animal shell|shell]], a strange, [[organic]]-looking mass, and what appears to be a stuffed [[rabbit]], to which Emma becomes attached almost instantly. In the morning Noah becomes angry when he awakens and finds that Emma has handled the toys. He takes them all back except the rabbit, which immediately begins communicating with Emma. Emma learns the bunny's name is Mimzy and, in moments, is taught by Mimzy how to use the geodes, which are called "spinners". Emma is able to toss them into the [[air]] where they spin, suspended, creating an [[wikt:en:atomize|atomizing]] field. |
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As the children play with the toys, they develop increased [[intelligence]] as well as abilities related to higher levels of brain activity and [[psychic|psi]]-phenomena. Noah learns to use a shell-shaped toy to communicate with [[arthropod]]s via [[sound]] frequencies. Using this skill, Noah manipulates the [[spider]]s to build a web that forms a [[bridge]] which is extremely strong as his school science project, amazing his science teacher, Larry White. This is a turning point for science-challenged Noah, especially when his teacher predicts success at a national science competition. Noah soon begins to see crystalline-like [[ley lines]] running everywhere through the air, enabling him to [[teleport]] matter using his mind. He begins to draw [[mandala]]s, inspired by no obvious source. |
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Larry and his fiance Naomi had spent time in [[Nepal]], where Larry experienced [[prophesy|prophetic]] dreams featuring mandalas and Naomi studied [[palmistry|palm reading]]. When Larry visits the children's parents, he obtains permission to have Naomi [[palmistry|read]] the children's palms. Noah's palm appears normal, but Emma's bears the mark of a "special" person. Shaken by the experience, Emma's mother asks Larry and Naomi to leave. |
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That evening in Noah's room, the organic mass and the green quadrilateral begin to interact. They finally merge into a new toy, appearing to be made of blue [[glass]] and resembling a [[coral]] formation, which causes a power [[power outage|black-out]] of the entire Pacific northwest. At breakfast the following morning, Emma's father grows frustrated with Emma's attachment to Mimzy. Emma responds by moving all of the [[sugar]] from the sugar bowl through the air using [[telekinesis]], dumping it on her father's [[cereal]]. Disturbed by this, the parents invite Larry back. Larry is stunned to hear about the episode and tells the parents the children have surpassed [[genius]] level. Larry recommends taking the children to a [[neurologist]] for testing. The tests show that Emma's mind is developing at a rate too fast to be accurately measured. |
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As Emma's parents becomes increasingly frightened, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] traces the black-out-causing power surge to Emma's home. The family is held for questioning. Emma reveals that Mimzy "teaches [her] things," and demonstrates her ability to handle the spinners. Mimzy is analyzed using an [[electron microscope]] and is revealed to be an advanced form of artificial life utilizing [[nanotechnology]] and containing [[Intel]] components. Communicating through Emma, Mimzy explains to the scientists that they must use the "toys" to return Mimzy to the future, where 21<sup>st</sup> century [[DNA]] can be used to stop pollutants from causing an ecological disaster. This will enable [[human]]s to become more integrated with the natural world, gaining love, [[wisdom]], stronger [[psi]] powers, and a strong sense of [[community]], all of which they have lost. The [[FBI]] agents don't believe her, so Emma communicates with Noah telepathically and the two use their powers to escape. |
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Recovering the toys, Emma realizes she needs more spinners to make the [[time machine|time transport]] Mimzy needs. She and Noah steal a truck to drive to the family's beach house, where more spinners are in their bedroom. During the trip Emma is sad, realizing that Mimzy is dying and will be leaving her soon. A tear falls from Emma's [[eye]]s, landing on Mimzy. When the truck runs out of gas, Larry and Naomi show up (Larry having been alerted by one of his prophetic dreams), taking the children the rest of the way. |
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The FBI and their parents arrive, but not before Emma and Noah start using the spinners and blue glass crystal (the power source for the time transport). Mimzy is atomized and sent back to the future, almost taking Emma with her. Noah saves her at the last moment, not only from being brought to a time not her own, but also from [[death]], which Mimzy describes as awaiting all human time travelers. |
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In the future, Emma's tear, which carried the required pure DNA, is used to preserve human DNA. Emma is viewed by the [[school]] teachers of the future as the "mother" of all the present generations. The children in the future exhibit the same gifts of [[levitation]] and telepathy that Emma had. |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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==Differences between the film and the short story== |
==Differences between the film and the short story== |
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There are a number of substantial differences between the film and the story upon which it is based. Most notably, the short story takes place in two different time periods simultaneously, the far future and the "present day" of the 1940s (with a very brief segment in the nineteenth century). In the film, the main story takes place in the early 21st century, with framing scenes and a few brief visions in the far future. Also, there is no ecological component to the short story, whereas much of the film's plot revolves around ecology. [[Lewis Carroll]] is a character in the nineteenth century portion of the short story, but is absent from the film. [[Alice Liddell]] is only referenced in a book |
There are a number of substantial differences between the film and the story upon which it is based. Most notably, the short story takes place in two different time periods simultaneously, the far future and the "present day" of the 1940s (with a very brief segment in the nineteenth century). In the film, the main story takes place in the early 21st century, with framing scenes and a few brief visions in the far future. Also, there is no ecological component to the short story, whereas much of the film's plot revolves around ecology. [[Lewis Carroll]] is a character in the nineteenth century portion of the short story, but is absent from the film. [[Alice Liddell]] is only referenced in a book. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 06:22, 6 July 2007
| The Last Mimzy | |
|---|---|
 US Promotional poster for The Last Mimzy | |
| Directed by | Bob Shaye |
| Written by | Short Story: Henry Kuttner C.L. Moore Screenplay: Bruce Joel Rubin Toby Emmerich James V. Hart Carol Skilken |
| Produced by | Michael Phillips |
| Starring | Rhiannon Leigh Wryn Chris O'Neil Rainn Wilson Joely Richardson Timothy Hutton Michael Clarke Duncan Megan McKinnon Marc Musso Kathryn Hahn |
| Cinematography | J. Michael Muro |
| Edited by | Alan Heim |
| Music by | Howard Shore Roger Waters |
| Distributed by |  New Line Cinema |
Release dates | March 23 2007 March 23 2007 March 30 2007 August 9 2007  2nd week May 2007 May 31 2007 |
Running time | 90 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
The Last Mimzy is a 2007 science fiction family film directed by Bob Shaye. Based on the short story Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett, it stars Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson as parents of children who develop super-intelligence and preternatural powers after playing with toys discovered on a beach.
Plot
Loosely adapted from the acclaimed 1943 science fiction short story, Mimsy Were the Borogoves, by Lewis Padgett (the pseudonym of husband and wife team Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore), The Last Mimzy centers on two children, Noah (Chris O'Neil) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) Wilder. Their lives are changed when they encounter a mysterious box containing strange devices, presumed to be toys.
Presented as a flashback, The Last Mimzy is the story of a distant future's attempt to prevent, through time travel, 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. The children and their parents, Jo (Joely Richardson) and David (Timothy Hutton), live in early 21st century Seattle. The "toys" are mostly incomprehensible to Emma and Noah, except for what appears to be a stuffed rabbit. 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, the ability to communicate with spiders, telepathy, telekinesis, and levitation. Emma becomes emotionally attached to the rabbit (Mimzy), from whom she learns how to further operate the devices. The children's unusual abilities and Emma's obsessive attachment to Mimzy soon alert their parents to the devices. Also, a power black-out of the entire Pacific northwest caused by the toys alerts the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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. Mimzy has brought a message from humanity's future, where pollution has nearly destroyed the world. Many rabbits like Mimzy were sent to the past, and Mimzy is the only one remaining. Mimzy explains that they must use the toys to return it to the future with uncorrupted 21st century DNA, which can be used to stop pollutants from causing the ecological disaster.
Despite attempts by an unbelieving FBI to hinder them, Noah and Emma use their psychic powers to escape with Mimzy and are able to initiate the time transport so Mimzy can return to the future. Fortunately, Mimzy carries with it a tear from Emma, 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 in the future exhibit the same psychic gifts that Emma had developed.
Cast
- Timothy Hutton as David Wilder
- Joely Richardson as Jo Wilder
- Chris O'Neil as Noah Wilder
- Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as Emma Wilder
- Rainn Wilson as Larry White
- Kathryn Hahn as Naomi Schwartz
- Michael Clarke Duncan as Nathaniel Broadman
- Kirsten Williamson as Sheila Broadman
- Marc Musso as Harry Jones
- Megan McKinnon as Wendy
The Last Mimzy features an ensemble cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson, Rainn Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Patrick Gilmore, and newcomers Rhiannon Leigh Wryn and Chris O’Neil as the children, Emma and Noah. World-renowned string theorist, Brian Greene has a cameo appearance as the Intel technician in the movie.
Development and production
The Last Mimzy was produced by Michael Phillips and directed by Bob Shaye. The film's and short story's titles are taken from third line of the nonsense verse poem Jabberwocky in Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. The adapted screenplay is by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost, Deep Impact) and Toby Emmerich (Frequency). The film’s production team also included composer Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), editor Alan Heim (All That Jazz, The Notebook), and sound designer Dane Davis (The Matrix).
The soundtrack for the film was composed by Howard Shore, the award winning composer behind The Lord of the Rings 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.[1]
Visual effects were created by The Orphanage, and location filming was done in Vancouver, BC and Collingwood School.
Differences between the film and the short story
There are a number of substantial differences between the film and the story upon which it is based. Most notably, the short story takes place in two different time periods simultaneously, the far future and the "present day" of the 1940s (with a very brief segment in the nineteenth century). In the film, the main story takes place in the early 21st century, with framing scenes and a few brief visions in the far future. Also, there is no ecological component to the short story, whereas much of the film's plot revolves around ecology. Lewis Carroll is a character in the nineteenth century portion of the short story, but is absent from the film. Alice Liddell is only referenced in a book.
References
- ^ PR Inside. ""Hello(I Love you)" article". Retrieved 2007-01-16.
