A father's love

Facing the inevitable

When you watch a zombie film, you can expect two things: gore and violence. In recent years, drama has managed to wedge in as a sub-genre between the two thanks to movies such as 28 Days Later and the increasing popularity of The Walking Dead show. Maggie caught my attention a while back after hearing rave stuff about Arnold's performance as well as about the story. I couldn't find it in theaters so I had to wait until it came out on bluray to check it out. Suffice to say, the wait was worth it. Unlike most zombie films, Maggie is a special kind of zombie film in which it's only zombie in name. At it's core, the film is more like a cancer melodrama; the cancer being a zombie bite that is slowly deteriorating Maggie's (Abigail Breslin) health. Maggie's father Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger) can only fathom so much, knowing that the death of

his daughter is slowly approaching. As there is no cure, the only thing Wade can do for his daughter is to make the most out of their time together until "the turn." The hardest part of watching Maggie isn't how we see her slowly becoming the undead; it's contemplating how she will meet her end. Will she commit suicide before becoming a zombie in hopes of dying with her humanity intact? Run away before she turns so she doesn't burden her family? Or will Wade be forced to do what we fear is the only humane option? Maggie brings out a side of Arnold that we haven't seen in a while; playing the silent father-figure who will do anything to protect his own. Sound familiar? He did it before in Terminator 2: Judgement Day but here it feels way more authentic despite it fictitious setting; proving that despite being a known action star, he is still a capable actor in the drama side of movies as well. Abigail shines as the doomed Maggie and never overplays her role; the way she talks and acts never feels cheesy. The film is short but it feels long enough for the story, which I feel helps move things quicker to the sad conclusion. Maggie is one of 2015's most unique films, and even if you're not into the zombie film genre, you should definitely give this one a watch.

-Reviewed by Razor, 7/16/15