Ma | Film Review

Hey Guys x

This is a monumentally late review, but better late than never! I remember wanting to see this as soon as it came out, because not only do I love horror, but I love Octavia Spencer, and you never really see her in 'antagonist' roles, so I was really looking forward to it!

A group of high school friends befriend an older woman, who calls herself 'Ma' (Octavia Spencer). Ma buys them alcohol and lets them party in her basement. But when Ma's kindness becomes dangerous, the kids discover that Ma isn't as innocent as she seems...

I really wanted to like this film, but unfortunately there were so many things about it that I couldn't get past.

And a lot of the things that I didn't like had to do with the group of friends: Maggie (Diana Silvers), Andy (Corey Fogelmanis), Haley (McKaley Miller), Chaz (Gianni Paolo) and Darrell (Dante Brown).

For a start, their friendship (particularly with Maggie) is weird and forced from the beginning. The film makes it seem like the 'popular' kids just plucked the new kid and forced her into their group for no reason and with no ulterior motive when none of them knew her. It didn't make sense to me for her to be so close to this group so quickly.

And then there was the fact that there was no chemistry between the friend group at all. It felt like they were forced together, but that none of them had ever spent any time together in their lives. Because of this, the scenes between them without 'Ma' were boring.

But despite all of this, the biggest problem that I had with this group of characters was that, it's been a long time since I've seen a film (horror or otherwise), with such stupid characters. Literally every decision they make is a bad one, and every time one of them says something somewhat sensible, the rest of them ignore them and do the stupid thing. It was infuriating, and at times you really don't blame Ma for what happens.

However, the friends weren't the only bad thing about the film.

The 'plot twist' was way too easy to figure out, and very predictable. If you haven't seen the film yet, avoid the trailer because that gives it away. But to be honest it doesn't matter, because less than halfway into the film you already know what the twist is.

The film quickly becomes absurd when we see the true extent of Ma's, for want of a better word, obsession.

And something that just personally annoyed me, they have big-name actors in the film, but put them in ridiculously small parts. Like, why even have Oscar-winning Allison Janney in the film if she's only in two or three tiny scenes? That role could have been given to an up-and-coming actor who could have used it to make their way up the ladder of the industry. But again, this is just a personal pet peeve.

Having said all of that, not everything about the film was bad.

The concept of the film itself was good, and if the plot twist hadn't been obvious and spoiled by the trailer, it would have been great because it really changed what the film was about.

And despite all the annoying things, it actually was an enjoyable film to watch, particularly the scenes when you realise that Ma isn't who you think she is.

But the best thing about the film was, without a doubt, Octavia Spencer, who was amazing in the role, as she is in every role she plays. She is the only reason that the film works as well as it does. Without her, this film wouldn't even be talked about.

Overall, as you can tell, I didn't love the film. But it's an easy, fun thriller that won't have you scared or thinking too deeply about anything, which is great if you don't want to watch anything too heavy.

5/10

Lou