Movie Review: Mama

Cast:

Jessica Chastain: Annabel

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Lucas/Jeffrey

Megan Charpentier: Victoria

Isabelle Nelisse: Lilly

Runtime: 100 mins

Rating: PG-13

Plot: Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years.... but how alone were they?

In My Opinion: I've wanted to see this movie ever since it was in theaters, but until recently when my daughter told me she wanted to start watching scary movies, I didn't have a friend who would go see them with me. We basically know everything about the story from the trailers. The only real mystery is how Mama came to be, which is revealed later on. After two girls are found living alone in the woods (and the way they end up there is so twisted it almost literally made me sick), they bring a creature back with them. There was a lot of potential in this one for being scary and it had a great storyline overall, but I feel like it missed its mark. 'Mama' was way too cartoonish for my taste. I almost laughed at her each time she made an appearance. And the insane ending really killed it for me. What was most notable in this movie was the performances. At first I didn't even recognize Jessica Chastain (from Zero Dark Thirty and The Help), which in my eyes makes her a brilliant actress. But it was little Lilly (played by Isabelle Nelisse) who really stole the show. Her character was so creepy in so many ways, I kept wondering how they could get a little girl to play such a twisted part.

It Rating Time

The Story:  3 out of 5 stars: It was okay, but could have been so much more.

The Acting: 5 out of 5 stars: The ensemble was brilliant and I'd like to see Isabelle again.

The Scare Factor: 3 out of 5 stars: Each time I was scared it was ruined by crappy effects.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom line: It was decent. If you're bored and looking for a new flick, it will keep you entertained.

~Jen