Maggie (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
Maggie, a title we were looking forward to, as it’s quite unique in both the theme it’s handling, as well as the fact that it pulls away Arnold Schwarzenegger from his typical formula of being the gritty hero in one of his action flicks, has finally been released. This time ‘Arnie’ trades in his arsenal of weapons, to take care of his daughter after she was infected with a virus that slowly turns her into a brainless being, otherwise known as a zombie. We were intrigued by the formula of a drama with zombies and Schwarzenegger.
Just like with every good (or bad) zombie movie, the world is struck by a sudden epidemic that turns people into brainless zombies, who will feast upon other, still warm, human beings, infecting those who are not completely eaten. This brings us to Marguerite Vogel (Abigail Breslin), otherwise known as Maggie, who for no apparent reason moved to the city, where of course one of the roaming zombies bites her. This brings us to Wade Vogel (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who frantically searches for his daughter, even though she told him not to, to bring her back home. Even though she’s one of the infected, for now, she will remain a ‘normal’ human being, as unlike in many other zombie tales, the transformation happens over a matter of weeks, depending on the immune system of its host. When returning home her stepmother Caroline (Joely Richardson) mildly accepts Maggie staying there, instead of the quarantine zones, but her own children will have to stay at their aunt’s place.
From here on out the suffering of both father and daughter commences, in a world that is slowly pushing away those who have been contaminated to quarantine zones. Unlike many other movies, the world is not completely destroyed and a lot of the infrastructure is still intact, offering people fairly normal lives, with the sickness lurking over their shoulders. It shows how hard it is to say goodbye to those you love, especially to those who love their children unconditionally.
Truth be told, the movie has no thick plot, but it works perfectly for the subject and theme. There will be no real ecstatic action sequences but cold hard ‘reality’, albeit a reality with zombies in it. Maggie shows us a different scenario, where humans are still in charge of the planet but have suffered many losses from the unexplainable epidemic, but life still goes on. This makes the movie interesting, as it feels as if the disease is a normal part of everyone’s life, nonetheless with enough restrictions and guidelines still. We sadly don’t get to see most of how life is, outside of the estate of the Vogel family but it’s clear that law and order still reign supreme.
The movie progresses rather slowly, albeit a pleasant kind of slow. The movie focuses almost entirely on Maggie and Wade, with Maggie receiving the biggest piece of attention. Overall it was kind of fun to see a movie approach the zombie theme in a different fashion, namely the hellish path an infected human has to walk.
Acting performances are actually very decent, even with Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of the lead roles of a drama. Arnold portrays a convincingly loving father, who gets away with a buffed up appearance as a countryman. His co-star Abigail Breslin presents us with a young adult who made the wrong choice and is punished for it. Nonetheless, she shows us the pain of having the knowledge when one’s end is close by.
Overall there are not that many extras to be found on the release, except for interviews and making ofs. These might be interesting if the movie has touched you, like it touched us. Other than that, you’ll be able to find several short trailers of other upcoming releases.
Conclusion
Maggie shows us that Arnold is still capable of pulling off some other roles, as he will have to start taking things a bit more slowly on his age. Nonetheless, the star of the movie remains Abigail Breslin as she wades us through an ocean of pain in a decaying world, where society still remains intact but has taken heavy blows. If you wish to see a rather realistic interpretation of what a zombie epidemic could cause, Maggie is probably one of those diamonds in the rough that could give you a glimpse of such a scenario. Be warned, not only zombies will be frightening, but also the emotions this one might bring up.
Maggie (Blu-ray) - Movie Review,
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