Mama... Please

Rating: 6/10 (5 December 2014)

As specter/ghost movies go, Mama has entered a crowded market. How Mama would separate itself and make a scary movie unlike the others was the question. Or maybe Mama wouldn't even go the scary route.
The title is very benign and unrevealing. Even the way the movie starts with the childlike scrolling of "Once upon a time," lent towards a potentially light and jocular movie. Is the title related to the movie? Yes. The movie is about two very young girls that lost their parents and were subsequently raised by a ghost whom they called "Mama". Initially, like most ghost movies of this ilk, you don't know if the apparition is benevolent or malevolent. I mean, you could say it was benevolent simply because it took the time to raise these two orphans. At the same time you could say it was malevolent because it didn't bother to lead very capable flesh and blood people to these girls to raise them properly. In any case, it is a scary movie so you can watch to judge the spirit for yourself.
As the movie goes, it was not too original and there were many flaws to it. Some of the flaws could be overlooked but then other flaws actually hampered the story. There were the occasional startling moments to keep the audience on its toes. The movie borrowed from The Ring and The Grudge as far as the new way ghosts get around: I mean the crab walk. Likewise, the movie borrowed from so many others in keeping the ghost hidden for the first half of the movie for maximum scare effect later on.
Like I said, nothing original, minimum startle factor and a ho-hum ending.