
Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter, Maggie, is bitten by a zombie and this strain of virus presents itself in 6-8 weeks of infection instead of almost instantly, as most zombie movies depict. This way the audience gets to witness the change as a devastating disease and humanizes the zombie virus in a real way. A father trying to prolong the time he has with his daughter before the inevitable happens. Here's what I like about this movie:
First, all the zombies are convincing and each time we encounter them it's poignant, moving and terrifying. Reminds me of how well The Walking Dead handles emotional zombie scenes, but Maggie goes deeper. Abigail Breslin plays the title character, portraying a typical teenager facing typical coming of age situations. Issues with parents, dating dilemmas and physical changes. The balance of her teenage experiences paired with her physical deterioration from the zombie virus is harrowing and heartbreaking to watch.
When Maggie's friend gets her out of the house to chill at a party, we learn more about what happens to the victims inflicted with the zombie virus and then understand why Maggie's father is increasingly determined to keep her safe. I think this movie is exactly what the horror genre needs. Maggie is a fresh contribution to the zombie movie collection that plays on many of the situational stories (still very awesome) we see time and again.
I also want to say I have not seen Schwarzenegger in a better role since TERMINATOR. But seriously, he is excellent in this. Go see it!
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