I was snagged by the “From the Producers of Close Encounters of the Third Kind” tag of The Last Mimzy, and the appearance of Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) in the presumed Dreyfuss-quest role.
There is much homage here. Mandalas have replaced Devil’s Tower, Homeland Security has replaced the U.N., Wilson and Timothy Hutton split the Dreyfuss role in two: one the kooky, pierced, Pink Floyd-listenin’ renegade teacher with a heart of gold, the other the devoted absentee dad/lawyer with a heart of gold. Neither of them would ever jump on a spaceship and leave their family twistin’ in the wind, Spielberg.
The true Dreyfuss-quest roles are those of the children, themselves. Big brother, little sister. The children are not merely changed by their encounter with the fourth dimension, they evolve because of it: super spidey senses, incredible comprehension of – and empathy for – other creatures, telepathy, telekinesis, etc. Adults are annoying impediments to their secret mission to right all the wrongs of human history. The last Mimzy, it seems, is also the last hope for a tech’ed out, toxic humanity.
This is, after all, a children’s movie. One may argue it to be the brainy little girl’s counterpoint to the boyish stupidity of TMNT. So, when the narrative exposition gets a bit tedious, and the glitches in plot points glare, remember: it’s a pretty cool movie for little girls.