If there's a role that I thought Arnold Schwarzenegger wouldn't play, it would be that of a distraught, soft-spoken father watching his teenage daughter slowly becoming a zombie. It's a rather simple concept, and yet one that isn't very common to this genre. Instead of being the typical zombie film, Maggie focuses instead on the emotional impact that the apocalypse would have on an ordinary family. As a result, It fairs better as a dark family drama than it does as a subgenre of horror. There are only really five or six zombies in the entire film.
Schwarzenegger stars as Wade Vogul, Maggie's father. When Maggie (Abigail Breslin) is bitten by a zombie and slowly begins to "turn", Wade decides to spare her from quarantine and takes her home to spend her last days with him. Breslins's melancholy performance is what really keeps this film afloat. Her acting as Maggie, the title character, is brilliant. She manages to portray sadness and fear with a conviction that the other actors seem to lack. Her character seems to be the only one who is really terrified of what is happening to her. Whilst Schwarzenegger fairs relatively well in a role that seems so unlike him, there are times when his performance falls a little bit flat. Overall, his performance is quite good, but this really isn't the sort of film that he does best in.
Maggie is a film that is slow in terms of pace and it's tone is consistently moody. And yet there is something about the tone and pacing of this film that is in a way quite captivating. Despite the fact that over the course of the film, nothing much actually happens. There are, however, several scenes that really do have an emotional impact. This is largely down to Breslin's performance. The aftermath of several flashback scenes are unsettling, and some of the most melancholy moments are truly heartbreaking. However, I daresay that without the lead actress these scenes would not be nearly as effective. On the whole, Maggie is a film that has a strange charm to it, and although it's far from being typical of the 'zombie' subgenre, it contains some outstanding performances and at times is genuinely very moving. It may not be anything spectacular, but it will leave a lasting impression.
