Mama Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Jessica Chastain, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I ended up with some mixed feelings about the damned thing. Indeed, even though there were some interesting things, in my opinion, it was still a rather generic ghost story. In fact, this movie could be a good example why horror flicks tend to have a rather lame reputation. The reason would be that this film, and so many other movies in this genre, was just so half-baked. For example, the intro was just rather weak. I mean, was that the only way they could find to have these 2 little girls end up in this cabin? Then, I was just amazed that nobody wondered how such young girls could survive for 5 years on their own in the wilderness. Concerning Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, he is a decent actor but what’s the point of playing a set of twins if none of them was developed whatsoever? At least, I was once again impressed by Jessica Chastain who played a completely different character than what I have seen her doing so far and she was as usual so convincing. I also have to admit that the ending was actually not bad at all as it took a really surprising turn while the rest of the movie was just seriously predictable. Anyway, to conclude, I think that my rating was actually generous here but I guess the damned thing might be worth a look but only if you really like the genre. 

After committing a heinous triple murder, Jeffrey (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) kidnaps his two young daughters, Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nélisse), winding up at an abandoned cabin in the woods. Jeffrey is killed, leaving the girls to survive all by themselves. Five years later, Uncle Lucas (Coster-Waldau, again) finally finds his nieces after a seemingly hopeless search, but the girls are in a feral and malnourished state, requiring the assistance of psychiatrist Dr. Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash) to rehabilitate them. Lucas is eventually granted custody of Victoria and Lilly, but only on the condition that Dreyfuss can continue to study the children. Lucas' girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) is not too thrilled about the situation, preferring to be left alone. It soon becomes clear that a spirit known as Mama might have followed the girls to their new residence and is not pleased with the notion of joint custody.

Although Mama sounds promising, it's ultimately let down by poor screenwriting and storytelling. Internal logic is almost non-existent here. For instance, Annabel has a disdain for motherhood but quickly changes her tune once the girls arrive, giving up her rock music aspirations without an understandable motivation. And the way Annabel warms up to Victoria and Lilly never rings true. Added to this, Dreyfuss says he's a rational man who doesn't believe in ghost stories at one point, but minutes later, he buys the tale of Mama and begins a terribly clichéd Ring-esque investigation. Oh, and characters tend to explore haunted locations at night for whatever reason, and the film culminates with an unsatisfying ending that makes no narrative sense due to the lack of a consistent mythology. Mama admittedly begins with an intriguing prologue that sets the tone, but interest flags as soon as the narrative proper kicks in, with momentum gradually waning. Muschietti's deliberate pacing grows frustrating, and you will find yourself wanting the film to just get on with it (watching Mama pop up behind unsuspecting characters grows repetitive). There is simply not enough here to sustain the picture's 100-minute duration, and the subplots designed for padding are treated incompetently (case in point: a subplot involving the girls' aunt who wants custody of them, which leads precisely nowhere).

Relying primarily on jump-scares underscored by loud music cues, Mama is more of a random string of events than an adequately considered story. There is no consistent through-line to Mama's abilities, hence the nature of the paranormal occurrences keeps changing - it's as if the filmmakers thought about "cool" moments without considering whether or not the non-sequiturs actually serve the plot. For instance, Mama shows up at a hospital once in the movie, taking control of a computer, but never tries such a stunt again. Why doesn't she shut off the patient's life support if she has control of the electronic equipment? Making matters worse, the use of digital effects detracts from the experience, as the CGI looks too obvious, making things less scary. Muschietti does a lot of teasing for the first half of the movie, eschewing a full reveal, but we start seeing Mama too frequently and too clearly, which dispels the illusion. Plus, the image of a mess of hair crawling across the floor like a motorised wig looks preposterous. Worst of all is the climax, which reveals Mama to be an unremarkable digitally-created ghoul, taking away all possible intensity.

On a less negative note, Muschietti shows an impressive command of atmosphere, mood and suspense from time to time. The use of shadows is commendable, and it's unbelievably creepy to see the girls for the first time after their five-year odyssey in the woods. Whenever Muschietti avoids jump-scares, there are some amazingly intense scenes. Furthermore, the acting is better than expected, considering the poor scripting. The young girls are especially good, which is borderline miraculous. Equally great is Chastain, who was last seen in the acclaimed Zero Dark Thirty and who disappears into her role of Annabel here. Also of note is Kash, who could easily be mistaken for Tony Shalhoub.

Mama contains some effectively creepy concepts and nice ideas, not to mention a handful of intense scenes and an occasionally bone-chilling sense of atmosphere, but the end result is too underwhelming and in dire need of a script rewrite. It's only recommended viewing for avid horror fans who may find something of worth here.

4.8/10