Maggie Review – Post Apocalyptic Thriller Falls Short

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Category: Film

Published on Friday, 24 April 2015 06:58

Written by Janet Walker

Maggie, from Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions, brings to the screen a post apocalyptic thriller that begins strong teasing with potential moments of heightened suspense, exhilarating and terrifying encounters only to level quickly into lukewarm family drama.

Directed by Henry Hobson, Maggie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson, Jodie Moore, and Douglas M. Griffin with Aiden Flowers as Bobby and Carsen Flowers as Molly. Maggie was written John Scott 3.

We meet the film’s namesake, played by Abigail Breslin,  as she is wondering alone, in a post-apocalyptic Kansas City, infected with an Ebola mutated strain that creates Zombie features, dead, rotted flesh, with the point of origin becoming an ash black, oozing, decayed sore.  

Patrolling the night to round up the dying are a SWAT/CDC control team. The infected persons are removed from general population and placed in quarantine.

This is when we meet Wade Vogel, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been looking for his daughter, Maggie in the hospitals. Once found, she is in early stages and by favor is released to her father and the two head home to rural Kansas. Wade was given the rundown of what would likely happen in the near future as Maggie’s condition intensifies.

Victims, of this unknown virus, develop hollowed blackened eyes, black spider webs advance from the sore and spread until they cover the entire body. A willingness to take extreme measure to stop the disease spread, including self-amputation, are common as are the development of animalistic characteristic, heightened sense of smell, ability to hunt prey.

Soil, not water or air, is effected by the virus muting the growth of crops and a haze seems to cover the land. Cities and towns show signs of a deteriorating society as stores are looted, highways littered with abandoned vehicles. Neighbors are infected, others not, the disease is random and as Maggie meets up with her once close circle of friends she finds she is not the only one infected. Remembering the moment, the encounter with death, offers some backstory and insight.

Playing a god fearing or at least a man with a consciousness, Wade is faced with what was once his neighbor and four year old daughter, both in the final stages and in an act of sympathy or fear the two are terminated.

Joely Richardson, who appears as Caroline Vogel, is neither manic nor depressive, she is unnaturally even. Her references to a relationship with Christ and the need to hear an answer to her prayers could be the reason behind the calm or perhaps Post Traumatic Stress which would make sense, either way she walks through the scenes semi-conscious and only shows signs of action when she believes her life or the lives of her natural children may be in danger.

As a fan of action Arnold, seeing him sedate, concerned, a tough and tender father as he contemplates his decision to euthanize his child, the only part of life he had with her mother, who is dying and for all intents and purposes is already dead becomes agonizing for all, including the audience.

Abigail Breslin handles the lead and responsibility effortlessly. As her character borders on still typical teen and infected facing sure death with debilitating immune and human behavioral system and skills she manages to handle the material well.

Maggie is filmed in matted tones. The darkness of the situation is mirrored in the approaching grey skies that seem to sit over the Vogel farm. City scenes were a bit brighter; the hospital was sterile white even as the hallways were filled with decaying patients.

Maggie is dramatic. It is also long and the waiting game as all know the end is near is intentionally drawn out to build suspense it, however, falls short of suspense. We all knew he would end it, it was simply a matter of how and when.

There are elements to Maggie that are interesting and as a fan of action Arnold, Terminator and other comedic films, in fact, it is rare to see a film where he leads that falls short. Unfortunately, this film does.

Maggie may play well to the dedicated groupies who gorge on gory zombie films and even die hard Arnold fans will see it once.

Maggie opens Wednesday April 22, 2015 at the Tribeca Film Festival and will open in limited theatrical release and On Demand May 8, 2015.