Maggie
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson
written by John Scott 3
directed by Henry Hobson
Rating: ◊◊◊◊◊
Post-apocalyptic horror drama. Maggie is sort of a mix of a zombie movie and an apocalyptic medical contagion film. Either one of those is a story in itself that has been done many times before. In the present-day Midwestern United States, society struggles to function in the aftermath of a zombie pandemic that’s just barely under control. Instead of entering a government quarantine center, where the government is sequestering all the disease victims as their condition worsens and they are euthanized, Maggie’s father, Wade (Schwarzenegger), keeps her at home. We watch as her physical condition worsens. All zombie disease victims are registered, so the police and medical community know where Maggie is. They come calling periodically to check on her, making sure she isn’t attacking and eating anyone yet. The tense drama hinges on what Wade is going to do as his daughter deteriorates. In the early stages he defies the police, but will he eventually give in and let them take her to quarantine? Or, will he take his doctor’s advice and kill the girl himself, before …
I admired Schwarzenegger’s performance, but I thought the story was really dull and made zombies boring.