One scary "Mama."

Rating: 8/10 (15 May 2015)

"Mama" (2013) was quite good; I'd give it an 8 out of 10. Jessica Chastain does a great job with a well written character arc — initially unlikable, but then a surprising heroine. And it's great that she got top billing, instead of the film's obligatory telegenic male protagonist, who actually spends a lot of time off-screen.
Guillermo del Toro actually didn't direct this, as I thought — he was the executive producer. The director and screenwriter was Andrés Muschietti. But I swear this has the feel of del Toro's work. It could stand as a thematic sequel to the wonderful "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" remake, for example, which had strong elements of childhood fantasy and motherhood as a theme.
And what a great and beautifully creepy use of CGI to render the title baddie. In fact, the whole movie was visually terrific, with a fairy-tale-ish use of movement and color that was cool, creative and different. There are really clever flourishes for fright-flick fans — I personally really liked the tug-of-war scene.
I occasionally noticed some plot-convenient mysteries  one character is assaulted but survives? And "Mama" can move with either lightning speed or plodding slowness, depending on what the story calls for. And  at one point  do we actually have a zombie? Do we need to call on Rick Grimes and his band of survivors from "The Walking Dead?"
This was fun. Check it out.
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