the leading man is my tpye

Takes itself way too seriously

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

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..

While I agree with some of the points the detractors gave the movie, I don't agree completely. Some of the acting need brushing up (and one particular actress was exceptionally awful IMHO), but they're not so bad to the point that they're unwatchable. Some of the actors' portrayals are commendable. The low budget vibe actually pays greatly to being a homage of the original film. I actually originally wanted it to give a 6, but opted to give it a point more because I honestly believe that all fans of the original movie should give this one a shot.The effects are enough to make you cringe at the right moment. While the execution falls flat in some places, I feel that it's worked as a whole. I'm not a fan of slasher flicks per se, but this one works for me. So, overall, I liked the movie. I doubt that it'll be a classic like the movie it pays homage to, but hey, who knows? I didn't think Romero thought that his Night of the Living Dead would turn out so successfully either. And I'm sure that when it first came out, it was met with some negative feedback from some critics, too.

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.).

I'm a huge fan of zombie films and i loved the classic 'night of the living dead' so just had to check this out. Glad i did! Watch it, it's brilliantly made and very original. Spot on acting, great effects, fab storyline, can't go wrong! Gave me some scares too!! I heard the director did some other great horrors too, i'll be checking them out soon. Didn't get why this film has such negative reviews, nowadays people are harsh with films and just want every movie to be PERFECT. News flash; there's no such thing! They are here for entertainment, and i can say that this film provides just that. I'll be first in line for mimesis 2!