DVD Review: Mama

A pair of young sisters is found after living on their own for 5 years in an abandoned cabin. Taken in by their uncle and his girlfriend, it soon comes to light that they may not have been alone after all; and whoever (or whatever) was with them may have followed them home. Is Mama worth the time and money? Read on to find out!

The Good

The idea for Mama is a very creepy one and actually had me fascinated for the first half of the movie. Most horror movies these day play with the creepy little girl concept at least a little, but Mama found a way to do it in a different way; giving the girls an animal-like look and way of moving. It is totally believable that this is how these kids would turn out as a result of such a horrific turn of events; and this makes you really feel for these children. I think the credit for most of this is the excellent acting by Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nelisse who play the sisters. 

As the entity known as Mama begins to make her presence known, many of the visuals are truly creepy and the camera is used excellently. One shot that comes to mind is when the camera is staring down the hallway, but also peering into the girls' bedroom at the same time. In the room, you see Lilly, the youngest sister, playing tug of war with a blanket, her opponent is unseen but you assume its her sister. Suddenly, you see her sister emerge into the hallway from a different room. Who is Lilly playing with? Maybe I'm a wimp, but that stuff gives me chills!

The Bad

Aside from the strong starting premise, the story quickly becomes your run of the mill haunted house flick; not a very good one either. The biggest problem is the CGI that is used to bring Mama into full view and it immediately removes any mystery and takes you out of the movie. The visual effects people tried their best to make her creepy but the magic was just lost once you see her in her entirety. It just looks fake. This is not an unusual problem for these types of films but with such a unique concept, I guess I hoped they would continue to innovate throughout the film. I also had a huge problem with the ending to the film which I felt went against most of what the film set up as motives for its characters. It is ultimately not very satisfying.

Verdict

Mama pulls out of the gate with an excellent, unique premise and strong performances by the pivotal actors. However the story's execution and the weak ending make Mama an average horror movie that could have been so much more.

Dusty's Score: 4 out of 10