Review of Maggie (2015) by Patrick K — 29 Sep 2015

It's great to see Arnold Schwarzenegger take on a more personal role with little action. We all know the endless amount of action films he has starred in and made a living out of, but it's these roles when more is asked of him that impress me the most. Maggie is about a father, played by Schwarzenegger, who takes care of his dying daughter as she draws closer and closer to 'the turn' before she's full on zombie. It's a different and refreshing take on the zombie genre as too often these films rely on the scares and don't take the time to examine the emotional distraught that people may go through during an apocalyptic era.

That's why I can appreciate Maggie, it only has a few zombies here and there, but it's the human characters that you care about and want to learn more about. Schwarzenegger gives a surprising deep performance that should be considered one of his best, at least of late. You only see glimpses of his depth as an actor in the Terminator films, which was one of the bright spots of the last film. I think the problem with Maggie is that at times some characters in the film become a bit too cartoon-ish for its own story. In particular, Maggie's step mother was the main weak spot in the film. I never really felt the chemistry with the mother and Schwarzenegger and I would have preferred her to not even be in the story at all. It would have benefited from focusing on just the relationship between Maggie and her father.

The film is also a really slow burn, so there isn't a ton to talk about because not a whole lot happens. But there are things brought up in Maggie that you begin to ponder after viewing. It's the same sort of questions that Million Dollar Baby also tackles. What would you do if you were in this situation?

+Arnold.

+Thought provoking.

+Score.

-Mother storyline.

-Slow burn.

6.0/10.