Maggie (2015) | Movie Review

“Maggie” starts with Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger) driving into the city, which is never identified, in search of his daughter Maggie (a brilliant performance from Abigail Breslin). As he drives, we learn from the car radio that the world is in the midst of an outbreak of a ‘necrotic virus’ that was briefly out of control, but is now being contained by quarantine regulations. Wade finds Maggie in a quarantine ward at the local hospital and we learn through flashbacks exactly what happened to her in order to bring her there. The ‘burn’ time for the virus is 6-8 weeks, and Wade is allowed to take Maggie home with a strict admonition that he turn her over to quarantine once she begins to show aggressive symptoms. And thus the stage for the rest of the film is set.

First off, this is indeed a zombie flick, but unlike any that has ever been done before. Having said that, if you go into this film expecting something along the lines of The Walking Dead, you will be sorely disappointed. There is almost zero action in this film, and that is what it makes this film so unique within this genre. This is very much a thinking, and more importantly, a feeling person’s movie. It’s almost entirely dialogue based, albeit with some truly disturbing visuals thrown in. If that is not your thing, move along: you certainly won’t enjoy this. For those of you who like your zombie fare to be somewhat more cerebral, you will love every second of this film.

“Maggie” is the Zombie Apocalypse That Wasn’t. The world that we are presented could very easily be the world of The Walking Dead if world governments had gotten their shit together early in the crisis (although the long period of infection prior to ‘turning’ probably did help in that regard). We are treated to brief images of destroyed portions of the city and farm fields being burned (the virus can lie dormant in crops, an interesting but unexplored idea), but there is no large scale destruction or massive swarms of zombies roaming the countryside. Interestingly enough, the word ‘zombie’ is never used in the film, though it is strongly implied that these people are not actually dead, and the infection is more similar to a crazy form of rabies. The one hiccup in that plot point is that the virus begins to kill the host tissue almost immediately after infection, leaving enough ambiguity to make the ‘are they dead or aren’t they’ question more of a personal choice for the viewer. It IS stated that the infected eat their victims, and the long turning period allows for some fascinating moments as Maggie begins to smell delicious food whenever uninfected people are present.

The casting for “Maggie” works FAR better than I thought it would.  This is the kind of movie that Arnold does that really pisses me off. Once in a blue moon, he wants to remind us that he can actually act, and this movie does that in spades. Wade is forced to take Maggie back to the farm and a normal life while knowing that she is destined to die, one way or another, in less than 45 days. Every single frame of this movie is designed to remind you of the mental anguish Wade is experiencing. The emotional depth that Arnie displays here makes me wish he had done this film 30 years ago. His career might’ve been far different. Every second of his torment is etched on his face and is agonizingly believable. Trust me, as a father of two girls, I bought it. Completely. Abigail Breslin is outstanding as Maggie. Her slow descent into the depths of infection, coupled with typical teenage angst, is portrayed with a subtle brilliance that makes the viewer feel extreme empathy for her plight, while simultaneously wishing someone would just step up and shoot her already. The makeup effects used to show her infection are so understated that initially you don’t even see them. As her condition progressively worsens, her appearance deteriorates dramatically, showcasing some of the best makeup effects I’ve seen in a while. There is a small cast of supporting actors (stepmom, local cops, Maggie’s friends) that are all well cast and well performed, but are ultimately unimportant. This movie is about Wade and Maggie. Period.

The visual setting for this film could’ve been pulled directly from storyboards for “The Road”. The world depicted is very gray, and I mean that literally. There is not a single sunny day to be seen. Thunder and rain are a constant presence, and the overall effect is to remind the audience that every last bit of light and color has been sucked out of Wade’s world. Much like The Walking Dead, the plague isn’t the story, it is simply the background to one family’s tragic experience of that plague.  The setting of ‘somewhere in the Midwest’ makes this point very well. We are not witnessing the meltdown of New York or a heroic stand in Washington DC. We’re in Anytown, USA, watching a farmer who sees his life disintegrating in slow motion. The soundtrack is both haunting and unmemorable. It’s designed to play with your emotions, and it serves that purpose more than adequately.

If this movie has one major downfall, it’s the pacing. There are some very slow parts, and while they worked for me, other viewers may find themselves wishing it would move along a bit. Maggie’s stepmother’s (Joely Richardson) journey through this tragedy is completely predictable, and for me that detracted a bit from the overall story. However, that might just be me really stretching to find flaws. As I stated earlier, there is no action in this film. None (unless you count Arnie getting knocked on his ass by a cop). Surprisingly, I didn’t care. This movie isn’t about the action usually associated with zombies. There are some tense moments to be sure, but, with the exception of Maggie’s appearance as the infection progresses, there is nothing really frightening beyond a fairly well telegraphed jump scare early on. This film is designed to do one thing: rip every emotional fiber in your being out of your body, run them through a shredder, drop some napalm on the pieces, and nuke the ashes. Abigail and (surprisingly) Arnold accomplish that with ease.

Scott Calgaro
Contributing Reviewer
The Hollywood Outsider