ADAPTED from a science fiction short story written more than 60 years ago, The Last Mimzy is a bemusing, whimsical but ultimately charming children's fantasy that makes perfect sense to its pint-sized protagonists, if not us.

The film rests entirely on the shoulders of the young lead stars.

Newcomer Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn are both terrific, untouched by self-consciousness in front of the camera, generating a believable screen chemistry as siblings who forge a magical bond.

While her workaholic husband David (Timothy Hutton) heads into the office on his day off, Jo Wilder (Joely Richardson) takes her 10-year-old son Noah (O'Neil) and precocious five-year-old daughter Emma (Wryn) to a house on the coast for the holidays.

The sea air is a tonic and during a lazy afternoon on the beach, the children stumble upon a strange metallic box. Inside, Noah and Emma discover strange objects including a meteorite-like rock, a blue gelatinous mass, an iridescent green crystal, a large seashell and a stuffed rabbit called Mimzy.

Emma grows increasingly attached to her flopsy rabbit. "Mimzy knows things,'' Emma whispers to her brother. "She knows our names, all about us.'' Meanwhile, Noah begins to see the world from a completely different perspective, learning how to control and manipulate the forces of nature.

As the children begin to make sense of their role, they realise time is running out.

The Last Mimzy demands a complete suspension of disbelief, and has its moments of unintentional hilarity as the story spins wildly out of a logical orbit. The characters of Larry and Naomi are extremely problematic, imparting their knowledge of astrological configurations, palmistry and "tulkus'' - a child blessed with extraordinary abilities and knowledge.

O'Neil and Wryn are delightful and Hutton and Richardson deliver strong supporting performances as parents desperate to protect their brood from powerful forces.

  • See it at Odeon and Empire.