SummaryWhen a deadly zombie virus sweeps the nation, a father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) will stop at nothing to save his infected daughter (Abigail Breslin).
SummaryWhen a deadly zombie virus sweeps the nation, a father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) will stop at nothing to save his infected daughter (Abigail Breslin).
The movie subtly examines whether people accustomed to a precise way of life can deal with cataclysmic change; by extension, it implies similar questions about Schwarzenegger's career as he heads toward his seventies, and makes a solid case that more new directions await.
The words “Arnold Schwarzenegger zombie movie” create certain expectations. Maggie, the glum new indie that technically fits that description, meets almost none of them.
First, I have to clarify this... Maggie is a human drama. Period. If you are expecting it to be anything else(an action movie or a horror movie or maybe even a zombie movie), this is not the movie that you are looking for. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I'm certainly not.
In this movie, zombies are just an element of the story, not the main opposition that Schwarzenegger has to fight against with a machine gun in his hand. They are depicted as some kind of contagious disease that slowly takes people's souls and turn them into dangerous creatures. So this movie is more about the disease and families who are torn apart by the disease, not about the zombies themselves.
Overall, this human drama(I have to emphasize this) is brilliant and emotional with a beautiful soundtrack, artistic cinematography, and great performances. And the first-time screenwriter John Scott 3 did an amazing job, and I'm really looking forward to his next work.
I honestly can say that I did not find any flaws with this movie, due the fact that I was so engrossed in this masterpiece. I grew up watching Arnie blow stuff up, be a twin, dress up as Turboman, but Maggie is without a doubt his best performance. The macabre undertone of 1 of 3 impending outcomes would be more than enough to push anyone to the breaking point, and Arnie hits the nail dead center on the head. Brav-effing-o.
Maggie is not your standard zombie movie, and while it tantalizingly puts action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger into the lead role, the film is actually low on setpieces, and instead is a ponderous, sombre take on the genre that may leave those looking for a traditional horror flick disappointed.
A zombie movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger sounds like it should be campy fun, but first-time director Henry Hobson’s Maggie is grimly one-note, a small mood piece and character study that relies heavily on its three main actors: Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson.
Very good movie, although quite sad and emotional. If you're looking for an action movie or the type of Arnold fare of days past forget this movie. Zombies are just the vehicle used to grab your attention. Everybody loves zombies and Arnold. But this movie is about the tragic, sad deterioration of a sick daughter suffering from a nasty disease and deeply loved by her father who must watch his daughter slip away and will ultimately have to make some tough decisions at the end. The disease could have easily been cancer and it would be the same movie. I was very impressed with the actress who played Maggie and Arnold's performance was extraordinary. The man can act.
There are stretches of painfully boring silence, but the movie really starts picking up in the second half. It was good to see Arnold in something different, however, this movie belongs to Abigail Breslin. Not your typical mindless zombie film.
Time to time, "Maggie" has its melodramatic, tear-jerking moments, but the movie is just mostly a huge boring sequence of events with a wandering plot and sub-par acting.
Maggie takes itself way too seriously, especially for a zombie flick. Seeing Schwarzenegger in a straight drama role is odd enough, but he's surprisingly not terrible at it. He's certainly not going to win any Golden Globes any time soon, but he's convincing enough in the simple role he's been given to play here.
But while he's not terrible, the film is. It's relentlessly bleak, and inexcusably boring. The story moves so slowly you'd have to fast forward it to see it move at all; and the characters aren't deep enough to paddle in. If you ever have trouble sleeping, put the Zopiclone to one side and stick Maggie on.
This is just one of those scenes from The Walking Dead where someone's been bitten and they're waiting to turn--but strung out for 95 minutes. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the movie. Add tons of shaky cam, slow pacing, and "indy film" camera angles to make it extra pretentious. No twists, no new take on zombies, zero surprises. It was seemingly made by people who've skipped the zombie genre for 20 years and thought they discovered this scenario themselves.
Production Company
Lionsgate Films,
Grindstone Entertainment Group,
Gold Star Films,
Lotus Entertainment (I),
Silver Reel,
Matt Baer Films,
Sly Predator