Maggie - Arnie flexes his (acting) muscles

I've probably seen (and enjoyed!) pretty much every Arnold Schwarzenegger movie since 1984's 'The Terminator' (yes, even finding some enjoyment in his pun-filled 'Mr Freeze' performance in 'Batman and Robin' - I'm that much of an Arnie fan).  You could say that I have a preconception or two about what I'm going to get when I see his long name over a film's title.  And, because of that, I'm writing this review after my SECOND viewing of 2015's 'Maggie.' The reason being, I only got through about a third of the film on its DVD release.  Now I've finally accepted what I'm getting I can sit through the whole thing.

I should also mention that I loved zombie movies.  Not just because 'The Walking Dead' is so popular (well, maybe not lately, but it was pretty cool in its day!), but all the way back from George A Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead' saga.  Therefore, I was in cinema heaven when I heard Arnie was going to star in a 'zombie movie.' I could only imagine him kitting himself out with all sorts of 'Commando' style weapons and taking on hordes of flesh-eating ghouls with only his pecs and a witty quip or two for protection.  It's fair to say that 'Maggie' is not that kind of zombie film.

If you believe the trivia online, Arnie didn't actually take payment for his role in this film and its budget is the lowest he's been associated with since 'The Terminator.' Here, he plays 'Wade Vogal' a loving father whose daughter (Maggie - surprise, surprise!) has recently been bitten by a zombie and therefore only has a few weeks left to live.  Yes, apparently people here can last 'weeks' before turning into the undead - eat your heart out '28 Days Later.' And, as the title suggests, Arnie isn't technically the focus of the story.  Abigale Breslin plays the titular character and effectively carries the movie.  She's the one who is faced with the knowledge that she won't be here in only a couple of weeks, or at least will not be the same person she is now, i.e. will be crazing the flesh of her family and risking their lives if she stays with them.

So, 'Maggie' is not really your 'Resident Evil' sort of zombie film.  Arnie doesn't so much as kill everything that moves with machine guns, but spends his time brooding over the impending doom that he has no way of stopping when it comes to the fate of his daughter.  And, if you've ever thought that the big man's acting ability was limited to playing stone cold cyborgs then 'Maggie' goes some way to prove that he can do more than just look menacing in a leather jacket and sunglasses.

So, if - like me - you initially sit down to watch a gung-ho action/horror flick with Arnie mowing down endless legions or walking corpses, then you'll probably do what I did and walk away.  However, if you're in the mood for something a lot more subtle and bleak with touching performances then this one might be worth adding to your watchlist.  Lately, zombie movies have been done every way possible and, although  you can probably find some of the themes touched here in other sources, it's still worth a watch it you're a fan of the genre.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that