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Reed Alexander's Horror Review of 'Maggie' (2015)

Second Hand 'The Returned'

By Reed AlexanderPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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You know what? I'm actually pretty impressed that Arnie didn't completely faff this movie up. He actually did an unexpectedly good job. Unfortunately, that's where my appreciation for this movie ends. Happily discovering that Arnold didn't ham up the acting isn't enough to make a decent flick, I'm sorry to say.

Here's the thing, it's a really solid concept. Only problem is, it's already been done in The Returned and that movie was just way better. If this movie stood out on its own I'd say "Yeah, okay, give this movie a shot." Instead I'm constantly going to be comparing it to The Returned and why that movie was better.

So, needless to say, if you're thinking about watching "Maggie," watch The Returned instead. Basically, it's the same damn move but better.

Now, I'd like to say that the atmosphere is really solid, because they had the right idea to produce the proper sort of feeling... the only problem is it doesn't make a lot of sense when it comes right down to it. I mean, why the fuck is everything always on fire everywhere? It's a cool effect to see the constant smoke filled air and it gives the general impression of an endless hell-scape... but it's actually kinda dumb if you think about it. With as long as things have been going on according to the movie, there wouldn't be enough fuel left to keep burning stuff everywhere. It's little things like that that make this movie silly and always slightly off the mark.

Now, the acting is good. Including Arnie, the acting is good for horror. But because I need to keep harping on this, the acting in The Returned was better. The plot is stupid simple. What if someone you loved was turning. Everyone talks a big macho game but... really? I'd have a hard time putting a bullet in a kid, let alone if I had to do it to my own daughter. You just grip on to that ever dwindling hope that a cure comes out. But that's kinda where Maggie" screws the pooch...

SPOILER!!!

Is it really a spoiler to say that Maggie dies? I mean, you kinda know it's coming throughout the movie, you just don't know how. Are they going to drag her off to quarantine? I did kinda wanna see a zombie concentration camp where they keep accidentally feeding partially turned to the fully turned. Fuck, that's how I would have ended this. That would have put a feather in it's cap compared to The Returned. Is Maggie gonna get lynched? I mean, given the setting, this actually makes the most amount of sense. At some point a lynching should at least have been attempted. Is Arnie gonna have to blow Maggie's brains out the back of her head with a shot gun? Brutal as that might be, and as much as I would have approved, it basically would just be copying The Returned. Or is Maggie just going to take a swan dive off the roof of her house... at a height barely dangerous enough to break a hip... If you were banking on the earlier three options, you are going to have a bad time.

At the center of the very purpose of the story of Maggie, it fails to deliver the one element that it needs to be complete. By this I mean that agonizing struggle to keep your head up against the oppressive sense of inevitability, in the face of absolute insurmountable conflict, with the ever dwindling glimmer of hope, 'til it leaves nothing but a burnt empty husk of your emotions. The actual ending just comes off as wangsty and pointless. I found myself just shrugging to myself. I mean, Maggie just offing herself sort of takes the struggle out of the conclusion, doesn't it?

So yeah, watch The Returned instead.

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About the Creator

Reed Alexander

I'm a horror author and foulmouthed critic of all things horror. New reviews posted every Monday.

@ReedsHorror on TikTok, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, and Mastodon.

Check out my books on Godless: https://godless.com/products/reed-alexander

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