Rarely do I finish watching a movie and not know what to think about it, but that's how I felt after attending a sneak preview of The Last Mimzy. Judging from the reactions of the kids and parents who also showed up for this early screening, many other viewers are going to be in the same boat. 

The Last Mimzy is the story of Noah and Emma (Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn), who seem like your average brother-and-sister pair. But one day something happens to make these young 'uns very special. While on vacation at their parents' beach house, Noah and Emma come upon a strange box with a number of objects inside, including weird-looking rocks, a seashell, and a stuffed bunny that starts talking to Emma and calls itself Mimzy. It soon becomes clear these items contain fantastic powers: Noah, who's normally not excited about school in the least, starts to excel in science class, and little Emma begins spinning rocks with her mind. These siblings discover there's a reason for their newfound abilities -- and it involves a mission to help save the future before it's too late.

The Last Mimzy reminded me of how awkward I thought Happy Feet became when it turned from a singing penguin comedy into a cry to save the environment. Although nowhere near as dark, this film is so thematically heavy and unexpectedly grandiose with its message, I sat in the theater wondering what in the world just happened. I don't mean The Last Mimzy is a bad movie by any means. On the contrary, the story also reminds me of one of my favorite live-action Disney flicks, Flight of the Navigator, about a kid who's hurled forward through time by an alien and must evade the government to get back home. The difference between that movie and The Last Mimzy is that its main message, about the importance of family, seemed perfectly suited for the sci-fi story. The Last Mimzy would've been terrific if it embraced its secondary subplot concerning gifted kids not being afraid to use their abilities, but the way it saddles the little ones with a story about saving a dying future is like asking them to haul a huge cinematic tractor on their tiny shoulders.

Aside from a heavy plot, The Last Mimzy comes across as something of a mixed bag. O'Neil and Wryn make a convincing pair of little kids, with Wryn as the most adorable thing to grace the screen since those Happy Feet penguins. Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton fare well as Noah and Emma's parents, who are at first amazed by their kids' newfound talents but start to become freaked out and confused by them. Rainn Wilson from NBC's "The Office" plays well against type as a science teacher impressed with Noah's academic proficiency. However, Michael Clarke Duncan, as a counter-terrorism specialist, looks out of place here. He's the movie's closest thing to a villain (you know a flick is family-friendly when even the bad guy is pretty nice). And, although the special effects work is simply eye-catching, it gets old when repeated for an hour without much real advancement in the story.

The Last Mimzy may be too heavy for smaller children and yet a bit too kiddie-like for older ones. It's neither terrible nor perfect, but I can honestly say there hasn't ever been anything quite like The Last Mimzy. Whether or not that's a good thing is up for grabs.

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by New Line Cinema and rated "PG" for some thematic elements, mild peril and language. Reviewed after a Sneak Preview held on March 18, 2007.)

Listen to the ReelTalk Radio Show discussion of The Last Mimzy by clicking here.