Movie Review: "Mama"

- by Ninja Ross, 27 February 2013

Mama... Ooooooh! I didn’t mean to make you cry, if I’m not back again this- Sorry... Yes, "Mama". The brand new horror film from Director Andrés Muschietti and produced by Guillermo Del Toro, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jessica Chastain, Isabelle Nélisse and Megan Charpentier.

When Del Toro is attached to a horror film, even as a producer, you should pay attention. He directed Devil’s Back Bone, one of the greatest foreign horror films ever and he produced Orphanage, another fantastic horror film worthy of your attention. And now he’s producing Mama, based on this original short film:

In the feature film, the two girls are taken by their father, who has just killed his bosses and estranged wife.

After a car crash, the three end up in an abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods where the father begins to lose it, more so than he had already. He quickly realises that his life is over and decides that the best option is to kill his daughters and then himself. Always a good plan.

And then GHOST ATTACK!!! The father is dragged away and twisted up by the mama of the title.

Five years pass and the girl’s uncle, Lucas, is funding a desperate search for the girls with what little money he has.

Unfortunately for him, the hunters he hires find them. When the girls are brought back to society to live with their uncle, they bring the horrifying ghost with them.

I’ve already praised Del Toro for his skills but what of the actual director? Well, he’s pretty freaking great, too. While he does show more of the ghost than is advisable for a horror film, he still manages to make her horrific by using sound and CGI. Yeah, that’s right, CGI was used right here.

Mama’s bent, wrecked form is only possible thanks to CGI and the shadow and quick movements of the ghost help distract from any issues with the technology.

Muschietti’s best trick here is using distraction. One minute you think the two girls are playing together, the next GHOST ATTACK!!! Because one of the girls is not where you thought she was.

The girls definitely have acting chops. The youngest, Nélisse, plays a very creepy wild girl, crawling out of boxes and sneaking up on people, while the oldest plays shy and screwed up better than most adults.

Jessica Chastain plays a reluctant carer here. Her only goal is to help the man she loves but, well, you know how it goes. She develops feelings for the brats. While her acting is a bit stiff in the calmer parts, her skills really shine during the horror sequences.

Jessica Chastain

It’s always nice to see Danish actor Coster-Waldau in a non-twincest king slayer role, too. His American accent... isn’t so great but his acting skill help distract from that. He’s really quite good and I hope he gets more roles in the future that help him express a range of emotions and acting skills.

Mama is a bittersweet film with truly scary moments that might not make you jump (they probably will, though) but they will make you feel uneasy. The ghost is creepy, the actors are skilled (if a little flawed) and the directing is superb. I recommend you go watch it.


Have you seen "Mama", or are you planning to? What are your thoughts? Leave us a nice, juicy comment below!

Tagged: movies & TV, Reviews.

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