Review of Maggie (2015) by Johnny T — 23 May 2015

It's not a great movie, but it's haunting, a sort of one-stop shop for a range of cultural anxieties - plague, environmental catastrophe, big government threatening the sanctity of home and family. Maggie has some rough edges - what caused the epidemic, for instance? - but it's still a worthwhile effort, especially for a first-time director. And for an old pro like Schwarzenegger, trying something different and succeeding. The film suffers a bit for its slowness. But once you get used to the fact that this is not "World War Z," it has its small pleasures, which are both cerebral and emotional. Gore is kept to a minimum, a fact likely to disappoint audiences out for blood. It's a changed Schwarzenegger on view in Maggie, and the change becomes him. Though Henry Hobson's hugely promising debut feature is generating buzz from the casting of a fine, low-key Arnold Schwarzenegger as the anguished father of a semi-zombified teen, it's Abigail Breslin's gutsy, nuanced turn as the reluctantly undead title character - at once a heroine to be protected and a mutant threat to be destroyed - that makes the film unique within its grisly canon. Schwarzenegger's endearing and powerful performance will give you a change of heart on not only this film, but also when considering his artistic range. Downbeat but humanistic, Maggie is the rare zombie tale that's less about the appetites of the walking dead and more about their complicated emotions.

VERDICT: "In The Zone" - [Mixed Reaction] These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own. If you consider cinema, ask for people's opinion on the film. (Films that are rated 2.5 or 3 stars).