Maggie

Arnold Schwarzenegger acts. Well, sort of.

Set in a time when a large portion of the population are affected with the Necroambulist virus, which turns people into zombies, Wade Vogel (Arnold Schwarzenegger) finds that his daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin) has been infected. Wade brings Maggie home to stay with him and his current wife, Caroline, (Joely Richardson) who fears for when Maggie will turn into a full-fledged zombie.

                                            "Let me AXE you a question!"


With society still able to function on a semi-regular basis, Wade and Maggie try to live their lives as if nothing has changed; while also preparing for the inevitable. As the infection is still fresh, local police and hospital personnel who know of Maggie's situation allow Maggie to be home with Wade until the time comes that Maggie must be quarantined.

What could have been Arnold Schwarzenegger battling zombies is instead treated as a slow, thought-provoking film that is earnest in its efforts, but doesn't always hit what it is striving for. Surprisingly, the cast isn't the weakest part of the film as Abigail Breslin does a solid job of providing the audience a character who knows what her fate is, yet still wants to live.

                                            "It's just a scratch."


Arnold, on the other hand, underplays his role to the point that I'm not sure why he was cast. Arnold is a big personality on film, which is nothing like the character of Wade. Spending scenes where he's thinking about the situation at hand or just conversing with Maggie and trying to hide the hurt he feels for the situation; Arnold tries his best. Not always achieving what is needed for the character, it was nice to see Arnold step out of his comfort zone and try something new, even if it's more of a sacrifice fly that brings in the runner versus a home run.

The slow pace and monochrome-type look of the film, provided by director Henry Hobson is what really will make or break your opinion on the film. Maggie is not a fun film nor will you find yourself wanting to check it out again. We are set into a bleak world where color is at a premium and happy characters are a rarity.

                                         *Cue the Incredible Hulk theme song*


Maggie is a small film in the zombie genre and doesn't offer up much that hasn't been seen before. With Arnold top-lining the film, though, some people may be interested in seeing Arnold taking on hordes of zombies. With that not really being the case, though, I would rather people seek out Maggie for Abigail Breslin and Arnold Schwarzenegger's performances, for good or bad.

Plus, any Arnold is good Arnold.

                                          "With this and Terminator: Genisys, 2015 will be a great year..."


6.0/10