MAGGIE

In a not-too-distant future, the United States is struck by a violent virus that transforms any living being into monstrous creatures hungry for human flesh. To try to contain the spread of the virus, the American government has decided to quarantine all infected individuals to provide them with necessary treatment, although many people choose to keep their sick loved ones with them and personally oversee the transformation process at home. This is the case of Wade, a farmer from Louisiana, who, armed with a rifle, great courage, and a lot of paternal love, decides to keep his daughter Maggie, affected by this terrible virus, with him. However, this situation is not destined to last long, either due to the progression of the disease or the pressure from the police, who, as is right, have the primary goal of safeguarding public well-being and preventing the spread of the virus. Over the past fifteen years, the way directors have approached the zombie theme has been divided into two very different branches in terms of style and themes. On one hand, there are zombie comedies and films that aim to deconstruct the typical clichés of the living dead cinema, combining a taste for splatter imagery with hilarious sketches, such as films like "Welcome to Zombieland" by Ruben Fleischer and the cult classic "Shaun of the Dead" by Edgar Wright; on the other hand, there are those that maintain the serious tones of the genre and prefer more dramatic stories linked to the physical and psychological suffering resulting from the spread of the virus, as in "28 Days Later" by Danny Boyle. "Contagious – Deadly Outbreak" directed and written by the debuting duo Henry Hobson and John Scott, respectively director and screenwriter, undoubtedly belongs to this second category. Inexperience, which in this case is paid dearly, results in a work that is not so much bad as uninteresting and incapable of engaging the viewer within the story. Anyone expecting to see an Arnie with a rifle in hand, covered in the blood of zombies whose heads he has just blown off, will be deeply disappointed, as "Contagious – Deadly Outbreak" is not a zombie movie in the classic sense but rather focuses on the long transformation phase and the recovery period of the girl. One would logically expect a story rich in touching moments, tear-jerking dialogues, and a constant atmosphere of desolation and awareness of an imminent end. An atmosphere reinforced by what is perhaps the only truly successful choice by Hobson, i.e., the decision not to set the story in the usual metropolitan streets and skyscrapers but to move it to a desolate countryside, the ideal place for a quarantine period and to narrate the inner turmoil of the protagonists. The premises would also be good and suitable for the development of a well-constructed and engaging plot, if not for a stuttering screenplay in multiple points and completely lacking in a sense of rhythm with countless dead moments and a characterization of the characters not always carried out to the end as would have been convenient for a film of this kind. Shortcomings that also fall on a direction that flatter could not be and does nothing to make everything more dynamic: for example, it would have benefited the narrative and a greater understanding by the viewer to accompany with flashbacks the frequent - and in some ways useless - stories of the past recounted by the characters, or to show in their completeness the sporadic scenes of aggression to increase the level of spectacle. The negative outcome of such an ambitious film, at least in intent, nullifies the excellent performance of an Arnie more than surprising in an unusual role and skillful in overturning all the doubts of those who harbored doubts about his performance in a context different from the one in which he is used to acting. Praiseworthy is also the performance of a brilliant Abigail Breslin, who had already dealt with zombies in the aforementioned "Welcome to Zombieland," in the role of the tormented-souled daughter, while the rest of the cast settles at acceptable levels and nothing more. In conclusion, "Contagious – Deadly Outbreak" does not work either as a dramatic film or as a zombie film, with the viewer wondering for much of the time where the monsters and all the typical elements we are used to from Romero onwards have gone.