
Mama
★★☆☆☆



Directed by
Andrés Muschietti
Produced by J. Miles Dale and Barbara Muschietti
Screenplay by Neil Cross, Andy Muschietti, and Bárbara Muschietti
Based on the short film by Andrés Muschietti
With: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash, and Javier Botet
Editing: Michele Conroy
Music: Fernando Velázquez
Runtime: 100 min
Release Date: 18 January 2013
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Color
Produced by J. Miles Dale and Barbara Muschietti
Screenplay by Neil Cross, Andy Muschietti, and Bárbara Muschietti
Based on the short film by Andrés Muschietti
With: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash, and Javier Botet
Runtime:
100 min
Release Date: 18 January 2013
Color/Aspect: Color / 1.85 : 1
Cinematography:
Antonio RiestraRelease Date: 18 January 2013
Color/Aspect: Color / 1.85 : 1
Editing: Michele Conroy
Music: Fernando Velázquez
Runtime: 100 min
Release Date: 18 January 2013
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Color

Mama
★★☆☆☆


Guillermo del Toro executive-produced
this debut feature from Spanish director Andrés Muschietti about the discovery
of two little girls who were kidnapped by their father when quite young and
left alone for five years in a cabin. The film starts out promisingly: the girls’ uncle (Nikolaj
Coster-Waldue) and his reluctant punk-rocker girlfriend (the always
excellent Jessica Chastain proving that she can
play 22 as well as 42) adopt the girls while an unscrupulous doctor studies
them. The first half plays like a great “scary-kid” movie (the young actresses
who play the girls are terrific) that becomes a haunted-house movie when the
demented spirit who took care of the girls during their five years in the woods
returns and becomes jealous of their new “mother”. However, like most modern
horror movies, the fun scares and spooky mystery become less credible as soon
as CGI takes over. There are also some major logic problems in the story that
could have easily been addressed if more care had been taken in adapting this
celebrated short film into a feature.
Directed by
Andrés Muschietti
Produced by J. Miles Dale and Barbara Muschietti
Screenplay by Neil Cross, Andy Muschietti, and Bárbara Muschietti
Based on the short film by Andrés Muschietti
With: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash, and Javier Botet
Editing: Michele Conroy
Music: Fernando Velázquez
Runtime: 100 min
Release Date: 18 January 2013
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Color
Produced by J. Miles Dale and Barbara Muschietti
Screenplay by Neil Cross, Andy Muschietti, and Bárbara Muschietti
Based on the short film by Andrés Muschietti
With: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash, and Javier Botet
Runtime:
100 min
Release Date: 18 January 2013
Color/Aspect: Color / 1.85 : 1
Cinematography:
Antonio RiestraRelease Date: 18 January 2013
Color/Aspect: Color / 1.85 : 1
Editing: Michele Conroy
Music: Fernando Velázquez
Runtime: 100 min
Release Date: 18 January 2013
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Color
How I Rate Films
★★★★★
One of the 5000 greatest films. Usually only awarded after repeat viewings, so there are more five-star films from decades past than recent years.
★★★★☆
An excellent film. Possibly one of the 5000 and certainly worthy of repeated viewing.
★★★☆☆
A good film well worth seeing. Films listed at the top of this ranking could end up one of the 5000.
★★☆☆☆
A disappointment, an interesting failure, or just a bad movie. Still, maybe worth seeing: I often enjoy the top two-star films in a given list more than the bottom three-star films.
★☆☆☆☆
A bad, rant-worthy film. Should be avoided regardless of hype or talent involved.
☆☆☆☆☆
One of the worst films.
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