Guillermo del Toro's 1997 creature feature "Mimic" is now streaming free on Tubi, giving audiences the chance to revisit the director's disastrous first Hollywood production. The film stars Mira Sorvino as an entomologist who engineers a sterile breed of insect to wipe out a cockroach-borne disease killing children, only for the creatures to survive, evolve and mutate into a giant, human-mimicking predator stalking New York's subways. Del Toro has repeatedly called the shoot one of the worst experiences of his career, describing constant interference from producers that nearly drove him out of the industry.

The film was made by Dimension Films, Miramax's horror and sci-fi label, and del Toro has spoken publicly about clashing with Harvey Weinstein over creative control of the story and casting. Despite the troubled production, the piece praises the film's monster design, brought to life by Doug Jones, as genuinely unsettling, particularly in its practical-effects sequences, while noting its brief use of CGI looks dated by comparison. The article frames the film as an uneven but effective genre entry, torn between thoughtful science-fiction ideas and late-1990s action spectacle.