Maggie is a most unusual movie. For surreal starters, it’s what one could justly label a “somber zombie drama,” a potential new subgenre with first and last words that don’t normally apply to films about the walking dead. Secondly, it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, a performer not usually associated with anything somber or, for lack of a better word, Uzi-less.
In the script by John Scott III, a virus that turns people into zombies has spread across the world. Among the recently infected is the daughter (Abigail Breslin) of a farmer (Schwarzenegger), who flees to the city to protect her family. But dad decides to bring her home so she can spend her remaining non-zombie time there instead of in the hospital, as has been mandated by the authorities.
Like in World War Z, zombie-ism here is treated as an outbreak, only on a much more intimate level, and bereft of any frantic action. This is the simple story of a father not wanting to lose his daughter, its makers would probably (and rightly) argue. The zombie-disease angle makes it more appealing to audiences, and more memorable—“that zombie movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
“Somber” describes it well, too, as director Henry Hobson creates an atmosphere akin to an overcast sky never clearing. Breslin’s been bit and for sure will turn into a flesh-eater. There’s no cure. As she gradually deteriorates—black veins on her arms, an eye clouding over, her sense of smell sharpening—her dad and stepmom (Joely Richardson) struggle to keep her, and themselves, calm.
Though those who still give a whit about Schwarzenegger would probably rather see him blow up zombies, he doesn’t entirely embarrass himself in his purely dramatic role. Sure, he spends a lot of screen time staring pensively into space, but nonetheless effectively conveys his warmth for Breslin, most notably in the scene in which he shows her where her late mother planted daisies.
For her part, Breslin makes her character’s fear of, and sadness at, her impending demise palpable. Not only will she die young, she’ll become a literal monster. Speaking of which, we do see some actual zombies, and Ahnuld does kill a few. One he puts down with a rifle, but we don’t see it, only hear it, and for the first time, Schwarzenegger’s firing of a gun registers as emotionally meaningful. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]
Drama/Horror/Thriller
Rated PG-13
DVD Release Date: 7/7/15