Director: Henry Hobson

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson, Laura Cayouette, Raeden Greer, J.D. Evermore, Denise Williamson, Aiden Flowers

Rating: 15

Running Time: 95 mins

Release Date: July 24th, 2015

In an admirable effort to break new ground in an overrun genre, MAGGIE struggles to combine its ideas into a complete package. But when it gets things right the film is a sensitive and mature journey, bolstered by committed performances by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin.

It’s always interesting when actors try to break away from what’s expected of them and demonstrate their versatility. Jim Carrey found great success with some of his more serious roles, for example ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND or THE TRUMAN SHOW.

Having Arnold Schwarzenegger in your film means the audience expect a certain kind of performance but this is a different kind of film compared to his usual OTT action epics. Schwarzenegger plays Wade Vogel, a loving father and average man who is in the middle of an epidemic which turns people into vague zombie-like cannibals. Unfortunately his daughter has become infected and he must choose between watching her slowly become something horrific or end her suffering himself. It’s within this basic story that allows Schwarzenegger and Breslin, who is superb here, to play out a simple tale of that special bond between father and daughter, the urge to protect a child’s innocence and the lengths a parent will go to for their child. There are no big set pieces or zombie slaughter that’s so typical for the zombie genre; the film is grounded in reality and almost all of it takes place entirely on the Vogels farmhouse.

Unfortunately by isolating the location and stripping the story to the bare minimum it can be, MAGGIE never settles itself, leaving confusion over how exactly things work in its established universe. We see infected humans hanging out with the non infected and Wade face no repercussions for beating up a police officer who tries to take Maggie to quarantine. Too focused on generating an atmospheric mood, the film is frustratingly slow, shuffling like a zombie from one scene to the next. It’s a film where things happen, but nothing REALLY happens.

There was some good opportunity for some social satire buried within the film, but it’s all too rushed and glossed over to ever really make an impact. The film builds up a great mood and atmosphere but squanders it by not letting us explore this unfamiliar world.

Working best when it’s focusing on Wade and his struggle to accept what’s happening to his daughter, Schwarzenegger infuses Wade with a thoughtful perseverance. You can imagine Wade being a typical Schwarzenegger performance, cheesy one liners and masculine overdrive. But Schwarzenegger is mature and thoughtful here, a lonely man desperately trying to hold onto his daughter. Breslin also conveys Maggies increasingly fragile state of mind well. Even though Maggie starts and remains as nothing more than a plot point for the film, Breslin’s performance manages to elevate the material above the hollow shell of a character she’s given. It’s refreshing to see Schwarzenegger turn towards a new path in his career, especially one as mature and dramatic as this and he shows that he can still dominate the screen.

MAGGIE unfortunately runs out of steam in its final fifteen minutes, slowing down to arrive at a rushed and anticlimactic ending that is frustrating in its abruptness, along with some odd and intrusive musical cues that undercut the emotion of some scenes. Still Schwarzenegger and Breslin’s emotional performances save MAGGIE from being a dour affair, along with a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere wrapped around this tragic tale of father and daughter. Like the infected of the film, MAGGIE only shuffles along with its premise, instead of running with it.

Verdict

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