M3GAN

Rating – 4/4

*SPOILERS*

Killer dolls or robots. A little boy or little girl victim. Useless adults. Technology taking over. All clichés I’ve seen in many different horror movies. Some good, some bad, but nothing new. And yet, why did I like M3GAN? For all those reasons mentioned above and I’m not sorry. While I’ve never been a fan of killer dolls, I definitely make an exception for this one.

When Cady James (Violet McGraw) loses her parents in a freak car accident, she moves in with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), a designer for a major toy company, Funki. To help Cady through her grief, Gemma invents a Model Three Generative Android or M3GAN, a life-sized robotic companion programmed to guide Cady through life. 

She dances. She sings. She plays. She’s the ultimate best friend a person could ask for. And her goal is to protect Cady from harm. ANY and ALL harm.

And what happens when M3GAN starts taking that programming too far? Well, it is a horror movie, so…I think you can tell. 

But besides the blood and guts, there are plenty of laughs. And that’s what makes the movie successful. It could’ve taken itself too seriously and been a Child’s Play knockoff, but it leaned into its camp value. Just type in “M3GAN Dance Scene '' on YouTube and you’ll see what I mean. There’s enough humor to set a horror-comedy tone, from M3GAN’s pre-mortem one-liners, to Funki’s silly toy products, to the jokes about technology, winking at you just enough to remind you it shouldn’t be taken seriously.

But is it really that ridiculous?

My opinion: No!

What really drew me to the film were the satirical elements. I’m not that old, but I never grew up with smartphones, gaming consoles, or 4K definition. I just had a little flip phone and a box TV, for God’s sakes! But now, we’re in an age where we need that technology, lest we cease functioning. We’re constantly online, on our phones, or on some electronic device. How do you think I wrote this review? With a pencil and paper?

But M3GAN shows us the dangers of relying too much on technology, or else we lose our humanity. Cady begins seeing M3GAN as a parental substitute, unwilling to connect with people. Funki represents the corporate greed that markets technology to make money, no matter who’s in danger. And Gemma represents the people who are ignorant to those dangers, but truly believe they’re helping. 

And it all comes crashing down. Remember: too much can be a bad thing!

For the acting, Violet McGraw does a great job as Cady and Allison Williams does a solid job as Gemma. The two have great chemistry and it’s enjoyable to see their development and watch them go from basically strangers, to a family brought together by trauma. And luckily, this time, Allison Williams is not kidnapping Black people so others can use their bodies. Sorry, Rose Armitage!

But the ones that deserve the praise are the people that brought M3GAN to life. First is Amie Donald, who brings us M3GAN’s physical performance, from the flips, to the crazy stunts. Is it a surprise she’s a trained dancer and gymnast? And yes, she can run on all fours like M3GAN. Creepy.  

Next is Jenna Davis, the voice. High-pitched and childlike, Davis brings an innocent, yet subtly unsettling vibe to M3GAN and gives her a personality. When she’s sweet, your heart melts and she’s your best friend. But when she gets angry, run! Her voice may be human, but only slightly to show you that something is just…off. 

Finally, the puppeteers who operated M3GAN deserve praise. Again, something so life-like that acts and sounds human just isn’t. But it’s close. It’s initially awkward, and then smooth and flawless, like a baby learning about the world and growing up. In a sense, the puppeteers humanize the inhuman. 

An outstanding team effort deserves full applause!

M3GAN is a solid B-movie with plenty of substance and style to be a surefire horror classic. I can’t wait to see the M3GAN costumes for Halloween! It has laughs, scares, great acting, and a message that, while it’s often repeated, continues to get more and more relevant as technology evolves, especially regarding artificial intelligence. Could M3GAN exist one day? Could Skynet have some competition? Are we doomed to become so reliant on technology that it might literally kill us?

Hopefully not.