I often wind up talking about movies I’ve seen. Movies are
quick and a single scene can pack so much story and depth of concept. I can
encourage someone to go see a movie and know that I’m not pressing a 300 page
commitment on them.
That brings me to the film Maggie. Directed by Henry Hobson and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Abigail Breslin, this film struggled to find an audience. Imbd has an
average rating for it of 5.6 out of 10. Rotten Tomatoes is about the same. Only
32 % of viewers liked the film. So before I explain why I did like it, I’d like
to discuss a few reasons I think it flopped with critics.
There’s no foreign language or highly complicated metaphors,
but it is an art film parading as a zombie film. Oh, and if you’re expecting
Arnold to kill zombies with headshots from his trusty shotgun, you will be
disappointed. There are a few brief moments of action, but this film is not
about fighting zombies. This film is dedicated to care and concern for his
teenage daughter Maggie. So what I just told you is that this film violates
genre norms. That’s always a risky gamble. In this case, I think most critics
and viewers didn’t ‘get’ the story.
The other key flaw to this film is the pacing. It’s slow.
There are neat story payoffs at points in the film, but some viewers may feel a
little cheated. And if a viewer goes in expecting an Evil Dead or Walking Dead
sort of thrill-ride, they will be disappointed.
So here’s why I liked Maggie.
Arnold is just a father trying to help his daughter. He’s not an action hero
and he’s not perfect. I realize that many stories have portrayed zombification
as a virus. But I feel like this was more realistic. The virus has stages of
progression. Zombies are called ‘Turned’. And zombies are not undead. A broken
neck with kill one just as easily as a headshot. There are horror elements to
the film. You have a sense that something awful is happening to people. But
instead of wanting to shoot them, the viewer is invited to empathize with them.
The climax of the film is why I decided the film is good. I won’t spoil that
here.
Sounds interesting. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
ReplyDelete