By Robert Scucci
| Published
For decades, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name has been synonymous with over-the-top action sequences and cheeky one-liners that come from a man who’s always large, in charge and in total control of the situation, no matter how ridiculous it may be. I’m not saying this as an indictment of his acting abilities either; Schwarzenegger was born to play this type of character, and he has the track record to prove it. But when he finally has a chance to play against type and take on a more dramatic role, like in 2015’s Maggie, you can’t help but wonder why we don’t see the beloved action star in more films like this because he clearly has acting chops that he hasn’t yet fully explored at this point in his explosive career.
Surprisingly convincing in his portrayal of a grieving father during uncertain times, Schwarzenegger’s performance in Maggie needs to get more attention because I didn’t think he had it in him to put on such a touching performance, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t know this movie even existed until recently because of its limited theatrical release.
A Father’s Love Knows No Bounds
Set in an alternate present-day post-apocalyptic America, Maggie centers on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Wade Vogel, and his sickly daughter, Marguerite “Maggie” Vogel (Abigail Breslin). Maggie went missing after getting bitten by a zombie infected with the Necroambulist virus, which may as well be a death sentence. Unlike other zombie movies, we’re not talking about a total violent outbreak like in Dawn of the Dead, but rather the aftermath of one in the sense that most people are trying to rebuild society, and there are quarantine measures put in place for those who are still getting infected.
Locating Maggie at a hospital for the infected, Wade brings her home so he and his wife, Caroline (Joely Richardson), can make her feel comfortable during what in no uncertain terms are her final days.
As Maggie’s health continues to deteriorate, we catch a glimpse of her psychological state because the scenes shot from her perspective show her physical and mental faculties gradually lose shape as the zombie infection takes hold. Knowing that it’s only a matter of time until he has to make a decision that no father should ever have to make, Wade is confronted by the authorities who tell him that he can either bring her to a quarantine center where she’ll eventually get drugged to death, which is an incredibly drawn out and painful process, or “make it quick,” implying that he’ll have to take her out himself a la Old Yeller.
Made Believable By Its Lack Of Worldbuilding
Setting itself apart from other post-apocalyptic intellectual properties like 28 Days Later or The Walking Dead, Maggie doesn’t need extensive worldbuilding to get its point across because it’s the local happenings that drive its storytelling.
Set almost entirely at the Vogel residence, we get a glimpse of the recovering wasteland when Wade and Maggie travel to and from the hospital– and since we’re in a mostly rural setting, we bear witness to a small community in shambles that hopes to one day rebuild.
The failing structures in the local community, and hospital’s skeleton staff consisting of doctors, nurses, and world-weary military personnel is all you need to know that humanity has been fighting the Necroambulist virus for a while, and while there may be a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, there’s still plenty of heartbreak that will need to be processed in the coming years.
Streaming Maggie on Max
I’ll be the first person to tell you that Maggie is mostly a doom and gloom experience, but there are the occasional expected moments of levity that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could deliver when tensions are high, like pretending that Caroline’s improvised, can-food cookery actually tastes good while he’s holding back dry heaves in his effort to make his frightened daughter laugh, if only for a second. Maintaining a subdued countenance throughout most of the film’s run, Schwarzenegger is effective in his portrayal of a grieving father who already knows how the story’s going to end before the events in the film even begin.
If you’re ready to see one of the greatest action stars of all time let his guard down, get sentimental, and for the first time act like he has answers, not because he actually has them, but because he’s trying to comfort his dying daughter, then you should seek out Maggie, which is currently streaming on Max.
