Mama

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Release Date: February 22nd 2013

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?

Director: Andres Muschietti

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nelisse

Mama is a far superior improvement on Guillermo del Toro's last presenting effort, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Where DBAotD was directed by Troy Nixey, this had a different one director in, Andres Muschietti, who had written a short film, also called Mama, back in 2008. del Toro was interested in the idea and expanded on it with him.

It's starts very morbidly, which sets up the the rest of the film nicely. Jeffrey (Coster-Waldau) escapes with his two daughters, from a crime that he committed due to losing his mind. He takes his daughters Victoria (Charpentier) and Lilly (Nelisse) to an abandoned cabin in the middle of the sticks (no cliches there, but don't worry, it doesn't last for long), and tries the most unthinkable act imaginable by a parent. His attempt is thwarted by an unknown presence.

Jump forward 5 years and Jeffrey's twin brother Lucas (also Coster-Waldau) has been searching for his brother and niece's since they vanished, sending out a small search party with the little savings he has left to try and figure out what happened to them. They, as we all know would happen, are found, but are not alone.

Mama stays consistent until then end, but it lacks jumps and scares. There are a few, creepy, shocking moments, but again, like Dark Skies, once we see the presence of "Mama", it loses its scare value.

Lucas' nieces have the acting that make your eyes glued to the screen. Both girls are naturals at acting already, they mould themselves to the characters and make them their own. The girls move like primates and cats at the same time, bounding and leaping everywhere and moving around on all fours, snarling and grunting at their uncle and his partner.

The acting of the adults is shadowed by the younger duo. Jessica Chastain's Annabel is an annoying, selfish person whose self-indulging (expressed through her grunge music) ways make her a person to ignore; there's no relating to this one. Game of Thrones' Jamie Lannister on the other hand, is off screen more than he should be.

The ending will leave you scratching you head and thinking, 'why like this'? It ends with a mixture of emotions, never quite knowing where to place itself. You may be wishing for an alternative ending on the DVD release. 

Overview: Mama doesn't go out of it's way to scare, but the girls will weird you out a treat.