Mama started as a terrifying three minute short, and now, thanks to executive producer Guillermo del Toro, has become an overcooked one-hundred minute feature. Expanding a short film is always tricky, as the risk is run of making a movie that's too big. Mama goes for being a straight-up ghost story, one that, in the tradition of J-horror, has a vengeful spirit that has some demands before it will be put to rest. I'm okay with that as a concept...what I'm not okay with is a story that doesn't seem to play by any rules and worse, creates a ghost that is seen too often and when it is, looks like bad CGI.
The prologue is promising, as two little girls end up stranded in a remote cabin and are eventually rescued by their artist uncle, Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his rock band girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain, who is super cute even with black hair). There's clearly been some trauma, but Lucas thinks it's his duty to raise these girls. Annabel, of course, is not ready for mommy duty (clearly set up the first time we see her), so the movie spends a great deal of time showing how bad she is at it once the girls move in.
As expected, the girls don't come alone. While in the cabin, they were cared for by the spirit of a mother who lost her baby, and she has a nasty jealous streak. When the girls begin to warm up to Annabel, there are numerous shots of them looking over her shoulder, either smiling or with a scared expression. The first few times, there is some tension, but it keeps happening every other scene until eventually, it grows tiresome. The same can be said for the random sightings of the ghost, who appears in a large number of jump scares with thundering chords on the soundtrack.
The moments that resonate most in Mama are the ones where we only get glimpses of part of the ghost...her hand or her flowing hair. Her attack methods don't make much sense; if anything, they are patterned in a way to move the plot forward so Annabel can finally realize that she likes taking care of children after all. But the movie doesn't earn that moment; it just happens so the ghost can get angry and go berserk.
This the kind of movie where characters make dumb decisions. Not one but two people go to search the cabin, and both have the brilliant idea to go at night when they can't see anything. Even worse, the movie flashes back to show us why this spirit is pissed by making them dream sequences the spirit feels compelled to share with Lucas and Annabel. The back story itself is straight out of many other, more interesting movies.
The best thing about the movie is its atmosphere. First time director Andrés Muschietti, who made the short, has a keen eye for strong visuals...there are some compelling shots throughout the movie. Lots of credibility goes out the window during the climax, though, due to the lousy visuals effects and the laughably bad melodrama. Yes, we're actually supposed to care about these characters and the fact that motherhood has finally become something Annabel wants. As far as I was concerned, she was happier in the rock band. A missed opportunity in more ways than not, Mama is a prime example of what happens when a filmmaker wants to deliver the goods too badly. Next time, some subtly would be much appreciated.
Jee-woon Kim is one of best genre filmmakers around, and if you don't believe me, check out his ghost story, A Tale of Two Sisters, his western, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, and his serial killer flick, I Saw the Devil. This guy has serious chops when it comes to delivering legitimate thrills and action, which he brings stateside for his US debut, The Last Stand. For most, this movie will mark the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to a starring role, but those expecting tons of one liners and a larger-than-life presence might be disappointed. Instead, he plays a small town sheriff, a man who's seen more than his fair share of violence and needed to get away from it. You can read it on his weathered face.
Arnie's Ray Owens looks after Summerton Junction, an Arizona town so small that all the residents, save for a handful, travel with the high school football team for the playoffs. There are only three deputies, and an exciting day for them is rescuing a cat from a tree. This is just the way Ray likes it, but all that's about to change in the form of Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), a Mexican drug lord who has escaped FBI custody and will have to go through Ray's town to cross the border. With the help of his deputies and a few ragtag locals, Ray hatches a plan to try and stop this guy from making it through. At least, not without a fight.
There's a classic western sensibility to the set-up and to Ray, a man who could turn the other cheek and let Cortez blow through his town but would rather protect what's his. The showdown doesn't even occur until the last third of the picture, giving plenty of time to build anticipation as Cortez, in a car capable of driving two-hundred miles an hour, outwits various roadblocks. Kim and cinematographer Ji-yong Kim have the most fun with nighttime scenes, beginning with Cortez's daring escape and then in his pursuit. Look also at how vividly they stage a shootout illuminated only by flood lights. Despite the familiar script elements, Kim is able to bring the material to life in fresh and exhilarating ways.
Schwarzenegger still proves to be a towering force in frame, even if his character never has any of those spotlight moments recognized in his '80s work. His age is mentioned on a few occasions, but thankfully, the movie doesn't dwell on it. If there is a running gag, it's that everyone in this town is packing, right down to the sweet old lady that owns the antique store. Many different firearms are displayed here (even a flare gun), and Kim makes sure to show us the maximum damage each one inflicts. In classic western tradition, violence becomes a necessary means of keeping the peace, even if it involves a few casualties. Despite this, the movie is never self-serious. The supporting cast, which includes Johnny Knoxville and the always welcome Luis Guzman, bring nice bits of humor to the mix.
While it won't win points for originality, The Last Stand does succeed at being one of most confident, brisk, and satisfying action pictures to come along since John Carpenter's career was in full swing. It also made me happy to see Schwarzenegger back on the big screen where he belongs. He proves here that there's some still some spark left and that, along with the arrival of Jee-woon Kim, is cause for celebration. Fingers crossed that Hollywood does not drive him away like they did John Woo.
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