Maggie, (2015)

   There is a scene in most zombie films where a main character is bitten. He/she knows they are going to die and so does all of his/her family and/or friends. Now imagine taking this scene and making a full-length feature film out of it. Put off by the idea? Well, maybe that is how a big-budget, major-name cast, modern zombie movie like Maggie stayed off of the collective radar of the Z-Nation.* 

(*Zombie movie buffs NOT the Syfy Network show.)

   Here is the synopsis: It’s a few months after the outbreak of the Necroambulis Virus Epidemic and containment is in the grasp of the survivors. The government is working, police, hospitals, CDC, newspapers, radio, et cetera. Heck, the schools are getting ready to reopen. 

   The Zombie Virus in Maggie, (uh, the movie,) takes anywhere between six to eight weeks from infection until “the turn,” (where it kills you and you attack and eat the living,) but the quarantine procedures are quite liberal, allowing you to take your infected loved ones home with you up until they reach a certain point where the end symptoms show when they must be brought in for official quarantine for their final days.

   Meanwhile, out in rural Anytown, USA, the virus has infected daughter Maggie, (played by Abigail Breslin, in her SECOND major zombie movie role - Second of THREE now, that is! Look out, Danny Trejo!) 

   Dad brings her home to the farm until she must be surrendered. Her doctor, recording her progress suggests 3 options to Arnie: 1) Go to quarantine, 2) Administer the same quarantine 'cocktail’ at home so she stays home for her remaining days, but informs him that the process is reportedly VERY painful, or 3) Make it quick.

And the rest of the movie is one long, drawn-out goodbye.

   Zombie movies typically fall into one of three categories: 

1) Horror. I mean straight-up horror movies like Night of the Living Dead. 

2) Action-Horror. This is like Dawn of the Dead, World War Z, et cetera. Guns, explosions, Yeah! Or - 

3) Zombie-Comedies, (or “Zomedies”) which, with the exception of, like 4 of them, tend to suck. 

Maggie, however, is different. Maggie is a drama - loaded with tension and emotion, with only an occasional scare to remind you that it is a zombie film.

   Yes, this is kind've like the 'Lifetime Channel' zombie movie. But it also opens up a new zombie sub-genre, with drama-zombies, (Drambie?) It does NOT have enough living dead encounters for me. I prefer zombie movies to be scary, not just sad. That said, The Zombie Movie Rubric, a tool for objective grading of films devoid of personal preference, once again differs from my opinion and gave Maggie a 3.125. Big budget, good actors, original story. Go figure!

   So, personally, my advice is, if you want to see an big-name, action-movie star against a horde of the undead in an ACTION zombie flick, check out Dolph Lundgren in Battle of the Damned. 

   But if you are looking for something different within the zombie genre, check out Maggie. But be forewarned! It is a sad, SAD film.

Here is the trailer on YouTube - MAGGIE