M3GAN hit theaters back in January (in the U.S. at least), and despite my love of all things horror, I opted not to go see it. Nothing about the previews made this film a must-see for me. It was a story that has been told before, only in a current setting: humans mess with artificial intelligence, are eventually outsmarted by their own creation(s), and are finally forced to destroy said creation(s). Been there, done that, right?
However, not long after its release, I read a review of M3GAN posted by a user on Instagram. She offered what was very solid advice – go into this movie with the understanding that it’s fun and entertaining; do not expect to be scared and don’t hope for a bloodbath. The rating is PG-13, after all.
The plot is simple. After her parents die in an accident, Cady (Violet McGraw) is taken in by her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams). Gemma has no children of her own and struggles to relate to her niece. As a brilliant roboticist, Gemma works for a multi-million dollar toy company, and she uses her talents, and her employer’s funds, to create M3GAN. The doll is designed to be a child’s best friend, to be a companion, to learn and teach and play and protect. But M3GAN’s self-awareness advances faster than expected and she soon surpasses her inventors and takes the command to “protect Cady” too far.
This is nothing the previews didn’t give away, and honestly, that’s it. There is no big twist. You know everything going in. For me, though, that didn’t rob me of any enjoyment.
M3GAN is wholly watchable. I personally felt the final showdown was dragged out a bit too long, and I struggled with Cady’s behavior about halfway in (which was done purposely, I know), but the film was good. There were a few points about parenting made throughout, yet mostly M3GAN was something to get drawn into and escape from reality for a while. I even appreciated the lack of gore: way too many movies try to cover a poor storyline with an exceptional amount of blood and gruesomely violent deaths. M3GAN didn’t need that. There was only one really aggressive, slasher-esque kill, and I loved it more for it being the sole bloody murder.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to be entertained. From a horror perspective, no, M3GAN does not stand up to the classics, or other recent releases. I wouldn’t even describe it as creepy, let alone scary…except that having a life-sized “living” doll in my bedroom while I slept would weird me out. Haha. However, for a movie night with a significant other or a group of friends, this should definitely be on your watch-list.
M3GAN is available to stream on certain carriers, and the unrated version has been released on Blu-ray and DVD.
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