'M3GAN' Review: Blumhouses' Latest Sci-Fi Horror Flick About Killer AI Doll Slays the New Year
M3GAN
PG-13: Violent content and terror, some strong language, and a suggestive reference
Runtime: 1 Hour and 42 Minutes
Production Companies: Blumhouse Productions, Atomic Monster Productions, Divide/Conquer
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Writer: Akela Cooper
Cast: Allison Williams, Jenna Davis, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Amie Donald
Release Date: January 6, 2023
In Theaters Only
Killer dolls have slayed the silver screen for decades. Characters like the original Chucky, the new artificial intelligence Chucky, Annabelle, and Brahms have terrorized countless people and made their mark in horror. At the top of 2023, M3GAN, a cottagecore doll, struts her stuff and delivers the first great horror film of the new year.
8-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) survives a tragedy that kills her parents. The only caregiver in her family qualified to be a guardian is her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), an overworked roboticist at a toy company who puts her career first and relationships second. Gemma brings Cady home but—buried in work and emotionally absent—she fails to form a bond with her. To keep Cady occupied, Gemma introduces her to an AI doll prototype named “M3GAN” (voiced by Jenna Davis), who starts as Cady’s friend and protector. After gaining more consciousness about the world around her and becoming overprotective of Cady, Gemma’s world faces some killer consequences.
Screenwriter Akela Cooper and producer/story writer James Wan make a great pair when developing contemporary horror movies that take familiar concepts and crank up the absurdity. Their collaboration on Malignant is a delicious example, which also ended up in my top 15 films of 2021. M3GAN doesn’t have the iconic Wan direction that Malignant did, but this rather simplistic sci-fi horror story doesn’t warrant it either.
Unsurprisingly, the fun of M3GAN stems from the titular character. Once that miniature Regina George-looking robotic doll meets Cady for the first time, you can’t help but grin. Her sweet-turned-sadistic parental personality is irresistibly entertaining, especially with her well-written dialogue that keeps the element of surprise in tow.
Much like with Malignant, Akela Cooper’s M3GAN screenplay says “to hell with familiarity” and relishes in absurdity, finding that perfect tonal balance of lighthearted suspense and top-tier comedy. Alongside Kiwi filmmaker Gerard Johnstone (Housebound), who is well versed in horror-comedy, they paint a *Beyonce voice* unique identity to the film’s tone and sci-fi surrealist atmosphere. Whether intentional or not, M3GAN’s comedy thrives with its campy tone and straightforward story without taking a meta, self-aware approach. M3GAN’s unpredictable actions leave you at the edge of your seat in suspense or rolling on the floor with laughter.
Child actor Amie Donald, who plays M3GAN, delivers an incredible performance. It’s impressive to see a child actor combine robotic and humanistic movements (and dance moves). Granted, she’s only seen and not heard, but her physicality throws the viewer off their game, making it seem like puppetry or CG when it’s a girl wearing a mask. Voice actress Jenna Davis, well-known in the social media sphere, provides the doll’s voice with such saucy sweet n’ sour line deliveries that send shivers down your spine.
Allison Williams’ commitment to whatever project she’s working on knows no bounds, for she delivers a darn good performance, naturally reacting to the terror her doll conducts. She offers good comical lines that go toe to toe with the titular character.
While I’ve become relatively numb to horror flicks using grief and trauma as a base theme, M3GAN is the first film I’ve seen in a while that fluently weaves them into the main story. M3GAN and Gemma are in a game of wits over who controls Cady’s emotional and physical safety. Sometimes you’ll side with the doll due to Gemma’s emotional absence and inability to support Cady during her grief. There is a noticeable point of no return when the AI doll gains the orphaned girl’s trust, and I found myself going, “Screw Gemma, M3GAN is her mother now.” When Cady was in danger, and M3GAN added a new name to her kill list, I noted: “M3GAN did nothing wrong!”
If you’re expecting to go into this sci-fi slasher romp expecting scares, prepare to be severely disappointed. M3GAN isn’t scary. The limitations of its PG-13 rating prevent it from being as great of a horror flick as it is a comedy. Some of the kills are bloodless or executed offscreen, with the bellowing echo of a victim's screams leaving everything to interpretation. I felt a bit underwhelmed by how low the doll’s body count was, hoping Universal would release a theatrical or digital R-rated cut of the film.
That said, I had a grand ol’ time with this movie. M3GAN might be the first horror film I’d say you can take the whole family to see. Wendell & Wild was rated PG-13, and families watched that. What’s the difference?!
M3GAN knows who she is and the audience she’s programmed for, and she operates on being an entertaining campy ride. The year just began, but this 4-foot doll busts down the door as the first fun thrill of the year. Akela Cooper again balances genuine chills with a comedic absurdity that harkens back to ‘80s horror.
