Mama
| release date | January 18 2013 |
| studio | Universal Pictures |
| director | Andres Muschietti |
| writer | Andy and Barbara Muschietti |
| starring | Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash |
| rating | PG13 |
| tagline | A Mother's Love Is Forever. |
| site | mamamovie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
1 Comments
Mama is an unfortunate misfire, a film that’s too contrived to be called effective and truly scary. The grim fairy tale aspect of the film just didn’t work for me at all and the story though intriguing, sad and startling in the beginning, became scattered and not focused on which direction to take. The CGI ghost was horrible and unintentionally laughable, I rolled my eyes every time it came popping on screen, in a horror movie that is not a good sign. The scares were nothing new and way too predictable and the characters were underdeveloped that there was not much connection to care. Mama could have been one of 2013′s scariest horror films, but its solid potential melted away as fast as The Wicked Witch Of The West from The Wizard of Oz.
The performances are the best part of this teetering film, even if the script fails them. Jessica Chastain who plays Annabel, is probably the hardest working actress of today, she gives her all to her roles even if it’s as thin as this. She always brings a sense of empowerment mixed with vulnerability to her roles that is always compelling to watch. The real stars of this picture are the child actors Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse who play Victoria and Lilly, orphaned girls that were found living in an abandoned cottage in the woods for years after their dad goes missing and mother dead. Their performance in the movie had so many layers that add some depth to their roles and were engaging, spooky and heartbreaking. I see them as future stars in this business.
Director, Andrés Muschietti who also created the short film Mama that started it all, definitely knows what a horror movie should look like and crafted a haunting atmosphere filled with grotesque images and nightmarish shadows and lighting. The director just doesn’t quite know what a scary film should act like, he seems to have a lot of solid ideas and an semi original premise, but somehow got lost from the journey to paper to film. Andres Muschietti has so much potential as a horror movie director; he just needs to create a better script and a more balanced story. Mama just fell short of becoming truly great.
Overall, Mama just wasn’t terrifying as one might think. It had fine performances, a startling and fresh premise, some creepy moments, but the CGI ghost was asinine, the scares dull and ineffective and has an unconvincing ending. AN HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!
Mama is a an example of a PG-13 horror film done right. First off this film is not an ordinary J-horror ghost movie. Mama is much more of a horror fairytale and I loved that about it. The movie actually tells us a story. There are several things to love about this film. The obvious, is Jessica Chastain. Any movie she is in is worth watching and she makes Mama all the more fun. Her character is different and she plays Annabel very well. The next best thing in the movie are the children. They are creepy as hell and adorable at the same time. Some of the scarier scenes involved them without Mama’s presence at all. And finally, Mama is a villain with a backstory and it was extremely interesting to see how it played out throughout the film. The only thing I will agree with Brad is the CGI. It’s not as bad as he makes it seem but more practical effects would of made Mama all the more vicious and terrifying. Overall, this is a very creepy, not scary fairytale that tells us a story rather than giving us a pop out every five seconds like every other PG-13 horror movie. And I just want to point out that I love that Mama had a real ending unlike every other ghost movie that ends with something jumping at the screen as a cheap thrill. Mama is now on my list of favorite PG-13 horror movies right beside Insidious, The Ring, and The Grudge.
I saw the movie on release date. I enjoyed it but it did have it’s flaws. I give it a 7/10. It was creepy in a good way…the way it should have been…and had some genuine scares and jump scares. The story was a bit lacking…in that some of the main characters get pushed aside in the 3rd or final act…like the uncle (when in the woods). I agree that the movie had too much CGI for its own good…cheapening the other good CGI quickshots. Mama herself was shown way too much in the final act..that it ruined the scary-factor about seeing her. The Camera snapshot scenes and the closet scenes were the most effective scares of the movie, IMHO..because they were quick and short.
Mama, herself looks, except for her face, like a rip off of the Tooth Fairy from “Darkness Falls”…in fact several scenes of the movie reminded me of “Darkness Falls”. Remember the scene at the beginning of the “Darkness Falls” intro where you can see the Tooth Fairy floating in the shadows right out of range of the light from the bathroom where the kid was hiding in the tub? Yep, there are scenes like that in “Mama”. Some scenes reminded me of “The Grudge” (the japanese version) like the ghost’s floating frizzed out hair..and the ghost appearing from just the Hair…or from a rotting blot on a wall. “Mama” definitely borrowed ideas from both those movies and their monsters…like the moaning / click sounds of Mama…which is like a hybrid rip-off of the Tooth Fairy and the Grudge ghost.
The ending was a bit of a let-down for me…but it sort of gave closure to the story.
Also, this movie being similar in style to the above 2 movies i mentioned…and maybe “The lady in black” in terms of dark creepiness also was better executed overall than that piece of junk that was “The Possession” (watch “Paranormal Witness” episode in Season 2 called “The Dybbuk Box” for the true and scarier story and even scarier episode as it was shot)and crappier “The Apparition” (who’s poster basically gave away the movie’s ending…so retarded…and also had the “Dark Water”-inspired black-moldy blot on the wall).
Del Torro was fascinated by the original “Mama” short movie this was expanded on…and his DNA is all over this movie…which also had some similarities to another movie he introduced, “The Orphanage”.
Jessican Chastain, who looks unrecognizable as a Punk rocker here from her looks in “Zero Dark Thirty” played a good role. My problem was that it looked like she was playing 2 different roles…as her personality changes from a self-absorbed (mostly) rocker who really does not like the idea of kids…to later on this caring mother-like person. Two completely different personalities…but i don’t blame her..this is from the writing and script. I liked her more as the edgier don’t-give-a-crap personality from the beginning of the movie.
Any why must there always be in these kind of horror movies the typical Psychiatrist who does not believe what is being said then starts discovering stuff….its always a psychiatrist or priest/rabbi in these movie. So unoriginal!
“Mama” is a good pop-corn flick, not the best, but it had it’s heart in the right place and could have ended much scarier and better with a refined script and less Mama CGI. It is for sure better that a lot of similar style movies we have recently been given. Just enjoy it with a date…or if you go in without really high expectations.
I thought this was pretty good. Better than most of the crap that’s been coming out recently anyways. The score was amazing and very reminiscent of Danny Elfman and the movie had great atmosphere and some really effective scares. If you look past some poor CGI and a few plot holes you’ll find an original story that was executed well.
After seeing the movie yesterday I would have to say I am upset at what I seen. The movie came with a lot of hype and had a great opening weekend based off of a great trailer. The movie starts out great out has some classic scares and good scenes to keep you interested. As the movie goes on however it just keeps getting worse and worse. Some of the plotlines are very unoriginal and boring and some of the stuff just really makes no sense to me. Then after watching a decent movie it comes to the last 20 minutes. In these final minutes all we get is too much CGI and a ending that really falls flat and honestly was really lame. If you like PG-13 horror flicks then you will probably like this movie a lot. If you hate CGI in movies and usually are upset with how PG-13 horror movies turn out. Then you will most likely enjoy the movie till it goes way downhill and walk out really wishing it wasn’t as bad as it really was.
Comment
+ First half definitely had a very eerie atmosphere that emanated a dark and frightening tone
○ Packed with quite a bit of scary parts, but only a couple good jumpy ones
- The short film it was based off was much scarier. The actual film did feature a similar segment, but it altered, for the worse, the most frightening aspects of it
- By the end you see way too much of Mama’s physique to the point of where she is no longer very intimidating
- The finale felt like it was forcing itself into a typical/generic set piece finish
- Attempted, and had great potential, to give the plot more substance, but ended up not delving very deep, leading to a somewhat unfulfilling
payoff
I liked this movie a lot. Great scares and really creepy. It has a Woman in Black vibe to it but I think the story is better.
I also think that this is how creepy kids should be done. So much better than kids in county fair make up. Both of the little girls seem like they could become future stars. I was completely sold on them in their roles.
My only problem with this movie is showing Mama a little to much at the end. She loses some of her erie-ness that way.
Very helpful reviews. Thanks for sharing. I pretty much felt the same way. Pretty disappointing.
This film had some genuinely creepy scenes and showed a lot of promise, but at some point it just took a turn for the worst and never managed to redeem itself. The tension is destroyed the moment you see “Mama’s” face – the CGI is just plain laughable – and the scenes telling the character’s backstory are unnecessary fail to make me feel for her in any way. And to top it all off, the ending is one of the worst I have ever seen, and I don’t just mean in terms of horror.
Mama’s getting an unfair reception! I went in with somewhat low expectations giving all the heavily negative reviews from people. Mama wasn’t a must-see film for me, it just happened that a red-headed warrior was interested in it. However, I was pleasently surprised with what I got! Mama immediately grabbed me from its intriguing opening which was also beautifully shot and felt very Spanish so I knew that I was in good hands, directing-wise. The imagery was atmospheric and almost fairytale-like which was apparent from the opening letters, “Once Upon A Time” but don’t get too excited because it’s not as fairytale related as Pan’s Labryinth or Livid. I was also surprised at the amount of suspense in this opening sequence too so once it was over with an effective jump scare, I was at ease.
Mama plays out like a haunted house movie but it has a much deeper story than that. We’re introduced to some likable characters and some surprisingly un-annoying child actors! The girls were actually really good and not as wooden as you’d think they’d be. Every scene is filled with tension and I found myself feeling quite scared in some moments, which is unusual for me and was also something I wasn’t expecting. The director (don’t know his name, some confusing foreign name I gather) certainly knows how to work his audience and I look forward to what he can conjure up next.
Now, if jump scares annoy you for any reason then you might want to give Mama a miss because a lot of the scares rely on jump scares. Nevertheless, these jump scares are extremely well done and the build-up to them is done with nail-biting tension! Mama may only be offering cheap thrills, but they’re done in a genuinely scary way and the film does also feature a string of effective and creepy moments which adds to the atmosphere. Mama is never boring either and never forgets its entertainment value or characters. I also found the look of Mama to be quite creepy which is contrary to what a lot of people believe. Sometimes the CGI did look a bit shoddy and some of the floaty effects were over-done, but her face was actually genuinely creepy.
The sound effects were also top-notch and are really but to great use in the cinema. There’s a moment where a character goes into the dark cabin and you know Mama’s there, but you can’t see her, all you can hear are these horrible croans and Grudge-like croaky noises and it’s actually very creepy! Granted, Mama uses some cliches such as the old Rear Window flashing camera effect but that also conjures up one of the best jump scares in the film and really does fill the scene with tension. So although cliches are used, they’re used effectively and do offer some great entertainment.
Mama can be original too though. There’s a really great flash-back sequence which I’ve never seen the likes off before. It’s like an expressionist painting all in the point of view of Mama and it creates a great impact and allows you to gain verstehen for Mama’s mysterious character. My only real complaint about the film is that it does lose its way with the ending. Mama stops being creepy because she starts to function too much like a human and we see far too much of her. Everything feels a bit silly and rushed and also gave me vibes of the ending for Hocus Pocus for some reason, which is not good. Don’t get me wrong I love Hocus Pocus, but it’s a Disney film and I should not be feeling vibes of a Disney film in a serious horror film.
Ending aside, Mama is a great night out. It’s not as amazing as Insidious or Sinsiter, but it has an original and interesting idea behind it and is played out in a superiorly creepy way to most ghosty films. Mama always kept me entertained and the tension-filled directing is sure to keep you on edge. The film is full of great atmosphere and imagery which stops it from being another forgettable haunted house movie. I think people are giving Mama an unfair time. I really enjoyed it and so did the people I saw it with. I anticipate what this director has up his sleeves next time!