Arnold Schwarzenegger as Wade Vogel (Maggie Movie Review)
From the opening shot to the end, Maggie is visually stunning. A superlative production design is this movie’s biggest asset. Having said that, you still got to have above average performances if you need to stand out from the crowd. The lead actors Abigail Breslin and Arnold Schwarzenegger deliver more than acceptable acts.
Primarily focusing on the father-daughter relationship, Maggie is about Marguerite “Maggie” Vogel (Abigail Breslin), who is infected with a virus known as necroambulist. While set amidst a backdrop of post-apocalyptic desolation and a battered American Midwest, this is a more personal story of Wade Vogel (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who refuses to turn in his daughter to the health authorities. The movie shows how Wade’s actions affect not only his relationship with his wife, Caroline (Joely Richardson), who is also Maggie’s stepmother, but indeed puts him in a quandary over the decision that he must take regarding his daughter’s illness.
I loved the unhurried pace at which the movie unfolds, which I doubt was the case with the few others who shared the auditorium with me, as a couple left early probably finding it too boring. Also, sticking to a few characters works well as it doesn’t distract from the primary focus of the story, though we occasionally have the subplots like those of Wade’s neighbours and Maggie’s old boyfriend Trent (Bryce Romero), who is also infected crop up, but I didn’t find that distracting at all, and if anything they add depth to both Wade and Maggie’s characters.
For someone not accustomed to playing complex roles such as Wade’s character demanded in this movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger has done a commendable job. There isn’t a lot of talking that his character has got to do, and facial expressions and body language convey a lot more in which he has excelled. As for Abigail Breslin, this is probably the most challenging role that she has played so far, and to her credit she has done an admirable job. It is like portraying a terminally-ill person; where the end is inevitable, and hence the gloom, and then some flashes of joy amongst the pain and impending doom, and Abigail Breslin conveys this unequivocally through her performance. Joely Richardson as Caroline has done well in executing this delicate part, as she has to maintain a delicate balance between her concerns for the safety of her two children and at the same time show genuine empathy for her stepdaughter Maggie’s condition.
I can’t end this piece without mentioning about the editing, which I felt was top notch. It could all so easily have been messed up had it been in the hands of a less competent editor. The cuts are in the right places and are not overdone thus not hampering the flow of the movie. As for the sound, I never noticed it throughout, and I guess that worked for me as it subtly, in the background, drew me in.
Most people will tend to give Maggie a miss as it’s a low-budget indie with only one big star in Arnold Schwarzenegger and that too not in his customary action hero avatar. However, I would recommend that you watch it as this is a well-made movie that will appeal to a lot of moviegoers even outside the zombie sub-genre fanbase.
What do you think?