Maggie (2015) Reviews

• A unique voice in a crowded genre

  BrentHankins2015-05-06

  Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to the big screen following his eight-year stint as the Governor of California was met with a triumphant cheer from fans of the ridiculous, over-the-top action movies that the Austrian actor helped popularize. Cranking out testosterone-laced like The Expendables 2, Escape Plan and Sabotage, it seemed like Arnold hadn't missed a step during his big- screen hiatus. But amid all the gunfire and explosions and catchphrases, Schwarzenegger also managed to find time for some genuine acting. Set against the backdrop of a small Midwestern town in the aftermath of a deadly pandemic that produces zombie-like symptoms, Maggie opens with quiet family man Wade (Schwarzenegger) driving into the city to pick up his daughter (Abigail Breslin), who has just been diagnosed with the virus. Unlike The Walking Dead, whose characters would resolve this problem with a well-placed shot from a crossbow or pistol, the world of Maggie is much more humane. There are numerous protocols in place for keeping the virus contained, including setting aside a quarantine zone where the infected are sent to live among each other until their condition deteriorates to the point where they must be euthanized. Still in the early stages of infection, Maggie is allowed to return home with Wade, with the admonishment that she be taken to the quarantine zone once her symptoms become worse. Maggie's stepmother (Joely Richardson) sends her own children to stay with relatives as a precautionary measure, and the ramshackle farmhouse becomes a cradle of tension and sorrow as the family bides their time waiting for the inevitable. If you strip out the zombie-related elements, this could just as easily have been any number of films about a teenager with a terminal illness - the only real difference here is that Maggie's affliction leaves her prone to grey skin, wounds that won't heal and a desire to consume raw flesh. Downplaying the horror in favor of focusing on the familial drama is a superb choice, and lends the film a distinct voice in the cacophony of an already crowded genre. Maggie is easily the most emotional and melodramatic work of Schwarzenegger's career, a somber and melancholy affair that showcases a range we've never seen from the aging action superstar. His on screen relationship with Breslin feels authentic and believable, and it's hard not to sympathize with a loving father who knows his child is slipping away. In his directorial debut, Henry Hobson knows just when to pull at the audience's heartstrings. There's very little in the way of conventional horror, which might disappoint some genre fans hoping for a few scares, but this shouldn't be seen as a shortcoming. Maggie is an interesting and unique approach to a subject that is often glossed over in other zombie-related stories, and the quieter moments are the ones that resonate the most.

• Really something else then expected

  osj25072015-06-24

  This is in many ways a good, strange and different film, it is a zombie film, but not in the way you would expect, this is a drama about a dad finding and taking care of his daughter in her last days of an illness. The illness being she is turning into a zombie after she got bit and everything is treated in this film as it is just a terminal disease, there is no cure, there is a time frame, there is some signs to what is happening, but in the end you can't survive it. It is a slow moving drama and really is the storyline and the characters and their interactions that is the film, we are talking a time frame of a week or so and we mainly follow Maggie and her dad and how they try to spend their last days together. We are slowly but steadily introduced to the plague that have been turning people into zombies and how people with the disease are being treated and eventually put away, because there is no cure, if you are bit, there are only three ways of going on, go to the camps where the rest of the zombies are kept, get some kind of shot that will kill you in a excruciating way or take the life of yourself by shooting, breaking your neck or other means. It is a heartfelt movie that you really can't stop watching even though the story moves slowly ahead and it is not like any other zombie movie, it is insightful and interesting and really shows some aspects of life that has nothing to do with becoming a zombie, it could have been about any other terminal illness that can't be cured, but the zombie part is just a great twist to it all. I was entertained and thoughtful after seeing it, it was really something other then I had expected.

• This is not an Arnie action flick...

  sforrester-32015-05-24

  I think one of the reasons this film has a fairly low score is that a lot of people are seeing Arnie/zombies and thinking they are going to be watching a big budget blockbuster with Arnie running around blowing heads off. This, for me, was much better. It was slow moving, thoughtful and Arnie's performance as Wade in it was a revelation to someone who has never been a huge fan. Breslin's depiction of a troubled teen, Maggie, facing her own mortality and horrific end was subtle but effective. A lot of people have been questioning why make it a zombie film and not just any infection but without Maggie's disease making her ultimately dangerous, Wade would not have had to wrestle with his conscience in what he had to do, making the whole film pointless. If you preferred The Road to The Walking Dead then this is the film for you. If you're an Arnie fan expecting the usual fodder then I would suggest skipping this and digging out your Terminator box-set.

• Not the type of movie that a lot of Schwarzenegger fans are expecting!

  Hellmant2015-05-13

  'MAGGIE': Four Stars (Out of Five) An indie zombie flick, made on a budget of just $4 million, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin! It was directed by first time feature filmmaker Henry Hobson and written by first time feature film writer John Scott 3. The movie is actually more of a dramatic character study, than an action or horror film, dealing with the relationship between a teenage girl, in the Midwest, and her loving father. The catch is that the girl is infected with a deadly zombie virus. It's definitely not the type of movie that a lot of Schwarzenegger fans are expecting, but I really liked it. The story is set in a small Midwest town, where a virus, called the necroambulist virus, has broken out. It slowly turns it's victims into zombies and the government deals with the problem by throwing 'the infected' into isolation wards. Maggie (Breslin) is a young teenage girl, who was recently infected by the disease. Her father, Wade (Schwarzenegger), must do his best to care for her, in her last days, and also come to terms with what must be done, when she finally changes. I wasn't sure what exactly to expect, going into this movie. The premise, and idea of Arnold Schwarzenegger starring in a low-budget zombie drama flick, were both very intriguing to me. I am a little disappointed it doesn't have more action, and gruesome thrills, but it is a very well made drama film. Arnold gives, arguably, his best performance to date, and Breslin is pretty impressive as well. I wish there would have been a little more to the story, than just another drama flick about a terminally ill teen, and her relationship with her friends and family. It's almost like a zombie version of 'MY SISTER'S KEEPER' or 'THE FAULT IN OUR STARS', except with a little Schwarzenegger thrown in as well. I think he's making a lot of wise career choices lately, and he's starting to resemble Clint Eastwood, more and more, with each movie. This isn't a great film but it is a nice entry in Arnold's impressively expanding resume. Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/GZMz2QipSqQ

• Maggie

  ydnar1232015-05-10

  Maggie is the film that finally shows an emotional side to zombie films. This movie is not about killing all the infected people in sight. I think that Maggie has a least four excellent performances. The best is definitely Abigail Breslin. It is Arnold Schwarzenegger who is going to bring people to the theatre to see this movie but it really is Breslin's film, she is really the star. Schwarzenegger however is not his normal self. The man can act, and I'm sure that this film will never receive the credit it should because Schwarzenegger is in it and people are too quick to judge it by its cover. Maggie is slow but the performances managed to keep me interested. The film is also dark which perfectly captures its tone. I think that people need to go into this movie with an unbiased mind and it could really be enjoyed.