Olivia Spencer is the true star of "Ma," out of control in the best possible way; Campy and goofy, vicious and bloody, if that sounds like a good time, you might have a lot of fun partying with "Ma," even if you won't remember much tomorrow
Olivia Spencer gives us subtlety, when what we need from her is insanity; All told, "Ma" adds up to a decent B-picture, though perhaps not the star-launching turn Spencer and Taylor intended
it's not great storytelling, let alone great art. As it builds to its absurd, sometimes shockingly violent climax, Landes stuffs a bit too much plot into a tale that just can't sustain it; But "Ma" can, in the right frame of mind, be great fun
it's an unusually potent atmosphere for a quickie Blumhouse horror project; you can't say this one is elevated by the presence of Octavia Spencer--it's more that she allows herself to descend to the crazy-eyed pleasures of being monstrous
it's a much more enjoyable ride than the even more preposterous "Greta", which got lost in undeserved self-seriousness; The relative success of "Ma" is largely thanks to an intense performance from Octavia Spencer as the deranged madwoman
a Blumhouse scarefest that tries but rarely lives up to the irresistible dynamo at its center; Director Tate Taylor takes on the revenge-horror genre but can't save the flick from predictable pitfalls
"Ma," director Tate Taylor's latest film, which attempts to be a campy psychological thriller but gets so lost in trying to construct a message that all the exaggerated thrills die before even lifting off
by Brent McKnight [Seattle Times ]
by Rafer Guzman [Newsday ]
by Peter Travers [Rolling Stone ]
