Review - Maggie

Hollywood has a pretty standard formula for handling zombie movies, I feel. Be it Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, or even the queen of zombie franchises, Resident Evil, the movies follow a pretty common structure, with a motley band of survivors struggling to stay alive in the middle of an ongoing zombie apocalypse. The zombies, on the other hand, mostly serve the purpose of killing off supporting characters and acting as cannon fodder for the protagonists. Aside from a few odd title here and there in recent years (Shaun of the Dead, Warm Bodies and Fido come to mind), I've seen few movies portraying zombies in a humane manner.

Maggie offers a fresh take on the zombie apocalypse backdrop

Director Henry Hobson's debut venture Maggie takes quite a different approach here. At the beginning itself, it becomes clear that the apocalypse, triggered by a virus, is over. Humanity is still reeling from the massive casualties. And then there is the issue of dealing with the leftover population of the Infected - people who've been bitten by zombies but have not succumbed to the effects of necroambulism (zombification) and turned cannibalistic yet. There's no cure for them though; the only option is to transfer them to quarantine zones, and put bullets through their heads once they transform.

A prairie farmer from Kansas has a different idea, however

Schwarzenegger and Breslin team up in this touching story about parent-daughter bond

Two weeks after his daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin) goes missing, Wade Vogel (Arnold Schwarzenegger) receives a call from her, confirming his worst fears. Maggie has been bitten, and it is only a matter of time before she succumbs to a ravenous hunger for human flesh. Staying away from home is the only way she can think of, to keep her family safe.Wade, however, spends two weeks tracking her down and brings her home, deciding to send her to quarantine right before she transforms. He wants to fulfill the promise of protecting Maggie that he made to her mother. The rest of the family and Maggie's friends, however, are understandably wary of her presence, creating plenty of friction along the way.

The mutual trust between Wade and Maggie is the core element of the plot

Schwarzenegger has arguably put forward his best performance ever

At the ripe old age of 68 (at the time Maggie was released), the Austrian Oak is finally showing his age. That means he has to let go of multiple intense action scenes, settling instead for just one, where he effortlessly snaps the neck of a zombie that strays a little too close to his daughter. However, the lack of action sequences in the movie has brought out a side of him that viewers have rarely witnessed earlier. His Wade may look tough on the outside, complete with a hulking physique and a fortnight-old stubble; yet his deep affection for his offspring is clearly visible. During his solo moments, the audience bears witness to the forlorn look in his eyes and his hard-set jaw; unmistakable markers of a defeated man barely holding himself together. 

Schwarzenegger and Breslin shine the brightest in the post-apocalyptic drama

Breslin's performance is equally memorable

Breslin has already proved her mettle with her outstanding performances in Signs, Little Miss Sunshine, Zombieland, Nim's Island, and My Sister's Keeper. In Maggie, her portrayal of the suffering and inner strengths of the eponymous character seamlessly complements Schwarzenegger's tough-yet-vulnerable Wade. I would definitely expect to see her regularly in mainstream blockbusters, pretty soon.

All in all, Henry Hobson's Maggie is a touching tale about the mutual trust and the emotional bond between an aging farmer and his daughter, with both Schwarzenegger and Breslin delivering memorable performances. I would eagerly look forward to Hobson's next venture.