I have just seen the future of children's science fiction- a future quite different from the CGIladen visual extravagance and bonecrunching comicbook super heroes of late- and this future is intoxicatingly exciting.

It's a future without movie bad guys or stupid plot devices or selfabsorbed parents- a film that respects a child's intelligence, not to mention the need to dream like a kid. I've just seen one of the best children's fantasy films of the year, and its unfortunate name is

"The Last Mimzy."

Unfortunate, I say, because a title like "The Last Mimzy" must have certain drawbacks, although I found the film itself to have very few. Whatever its title, I suggest you see this one if you have children, are fond of children, know of children or want to feel like a child again . . . or if you simply want to feel really, really good about a film without being pandered to or manipulated by or suffer the condescending 'tude of Hollywood filmmakers who think they can sneak into your brain without your noticing.

There's an honest, earnest dreamlike quality to "The Last Mimzy," a low-key, homespun feel to the two normal kids with two normal parents, who stumble upon a strange boxlike artifact bobbing in the cold Seattle surf.

Ten-year-old Noah (Chris O'Neil) and his younger sister, Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn), bring the box home. For a moment I panicked- the thing was a tad reminiscent of Pinhead's puzzle box in the "Hellraiser" series.

But this box is far kinder to Noah and Emma. It contains several toys, including a worn plush bunny that emits a strangely soothing electronic chirp. Emma is immediately drawn to the stuffed animal, whose name, she declares, is Mimzy.

Noah is instead infatuated with a strange rectangle of sparkling glass that seems to have advanced mathematical and geometrical powers. They decide to hide the newfound treasure from their mother. And, gradually, their lives begin to change.

The children become increasingly knowledgeable, a trait not unnoticed by Noah's science teacher, Larry (Rainn Wilson). An ecologically minded, evolutionconscious New Age soul, Larry also realizes that Noah's classroom doodlings closely resemble an intricate, thousand-year-old Tibetan design- - one that happens to represent the past and the future. The kid's brain is juiced and nobody knows how or why.

In many ways, "Mimzy" is a clever, sci-fi-tinged mystery thriller, and the toys are clues. The film manages to hold one's attention without resorting to comicbook antics or, as mentioned, archetypal villains. There are, in fact, no antagonists in this film.

A few confused or misinformed adults hinder Noah and Emma's eventual challenge, but "Mimzy" seems to know its course. Even the inevitable government intervention (the movie's weakest device) provides little distraction. Yes, there are a few improbabilities, but kids won't notice. For the most part, the film remains delightfully unpredictable, so the less you know about it, the better.

I will admit that tension builds slowly, without director Robert Shaye resorting to cartoon violence or silly pratfalls. The comedic moments appear naturally and the few special effects are welltimed and appropriately awesome.

I found Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn to be immensely likable as the sometimes squabbling siblings, and even after absorbing the artifact's incredible abilities, both retain their well-mannered innocence.

You may notice a few thematic similarities to "E.T. The ExtraTerrestrial," but I can overlook them. Steven Spielberg's "E.T." is 25 years old after all, and "Mimzy" is based on the short sci-fi tale "Mimzy Were the Borogoves," published in 1943, long before E.T. ever phoned home.

You'll likely also note a mature subtext at play here (and Intel shareholders should notice some nifty product placement). For instance, Noah's new toy blacks out much of Seattle one evening, and a grumpy Homeland Security begins to investigate. Science teacher Larry rants against pollution in a very adult manner. Several references are made to Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass," and Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd fame) sings out the closing credits, with a casual reference to "the dark side of the moon."

So any perceived trippiness you encounter isn't accidental. In fact, the word psychedelic seems occasionally appropriate. "The Last Mimzy" is an unapologetic New Age ode to the evolution (and survival) of the human race- and I kinda like that. Despite our mounds of Styrofoam, our SUVs and our blithe excessism, perhaps every so often we can still pull a rabbit out of our collective hat.

This particular bunny's name is Mimzy.