M3GAN Will Dance and Slash Her Way Into Your Horror-Loving Heart: Review

The post M3GAN Will Dance and Slash Her Way Into Your Horror-Loving Heart: Review appeared first on Consequence.

The Pitch: Gemma (Allison Williams) works as a roboticist at a toy company, Funki, that churns out monstrous-looking hybrid versions of every kid’s ultimate companion –– a Furby, Tamagotchi, and Neopet all rolled into one. But while Gemma’s job revolves around the needs of children, she’s unfortunately ill-equipped to take in her recently orphaned nine-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), whose parents died in a tragic car accident.

Feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of having to care for a young, grieving child while feverishly trying to meet work deadlines for her demanding boss (Ronny Chieng),  who expects a new toy prototype imminently, Gemma decides to kill two birds with one stone. What if she perfects her latest AI-powered invention, M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android), to give to Cady for emotional support?

After all, M3GAN –– bearing a freaky resemblance to vampiric lovechild Renesmée Cullen –– has been built with the purpose of being more than just a toy: she is a playmate, an educational partner, and a friend for the suddenly lonely Cady. Why would a child need real friends –– or even parents –– when you can just gift them M3GAN?

As Cady’s connection to M3GAN strengthens to the point where she feels that she cannot live without the doll, blood starts to spill, violence ensues, and chaos reigns.

Move Over, Chucky: There’s a new star killer doll on the loose, and she wears a khaki-colored dress, a blue and red bow tied around her neck, and white tights. Who knew the most terrifying villain of 2023 would be a slasher doll with perfect ringlets and a wardrobe from Modcloth? Akela Cooper’s M3GAN screenplay is a hilarious, thrilling, biting satire of the technology age, and a much-needed fresh take on the genre.

Cooper’s work with producer James Wan began with 2021’s entertaining Malignant, and the fun only continues here: M3GAN is a true riot, a rollicking and campy romp full of absolutely bonkers moments that will have you cackling with laughter. (There is a scene where M3GAN, in a bid to comfort Cady, sings a dramatic, acapella rendition of Sia’s “Titanium.” Because why not.) Sure, Wan’s 2014 Annabelle, from his Conjuring universe, is also a tale about a killer toy –– but Gerard Johnstone’s direction gives M3GAN a cheeky touch. Plus, does Annabelle look as if she can rock a Peter Pan collar?

M3GAN (Universal Pictures)

More a social commentary than downright horror, it’s the ludicrous ridiculousness of M3GAN that will make this one of your most enjoyable cinematic experiences this year. Bona fide, dark horror mixes with comedic insanity in high-octane doses to provide the perfect absurdist balance, making M3GAN herself an instantly fabulous, demonic icon for years to come.

Fear and Loathing in the Age of Technology: Just as Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude” for a young Julian Lennon to comfort him after his parents’ divorce, Gemma does the same for Cady, only with creating M3GAN. It’s a starting place that gives M3GAN a too-relevant edge — this is a horror story that we are already living in full, every day, as we lean into the comfort of technology in an increasingly disparate world, as we long to form human connection in the midst of our loneliness. (Also, no, this film absolutely did not give this writer, also named Cady, an existential crisis at the AMC Lincoln Square.)

With that angle in place, M3GAN holds up a fun-house mirror to our society’s over-reliance on tech: While Gemma’s intentions are noble, as she fulfills her late sister’s wish in adopting her niece, she does learn the hard way that being a workaholic who puts her career over her personal life is not an ideal personality trait for raising a child.

So she delegates childcare duties to M3GAN, leaving her free to focus on her work. Cady and M3GAN bond fiercely, but M3GAN is merely a distraction for Cady’s struggles to accept her parents’ death, enabling Cady to dissociate from her life through those interactions with M3GAN — something so many of us are also guilty of doing, with our own preferred forms of technology.

The Verdict: Cautionary tales about the dangers of life in the Internet age can often feel heavy-handed and trite, but M3GAN never feels like an extended Black Mirror episode. Its accessible themes don’t come off as oversaturated, thanks to the wit of the screenplay and a great performance from Williams. Instead of over-pontificating on these very real fears, we have M3GAN softly playing an Eminem song on a piano. We have her breakdancing in a hallway as she chases after the blood of mortals. Our nightmares will forever be terrorized by a girlish doll with perfect eyeliner and Disney Princess eyes, who looks like she listens to She & Him.

It’s M3GAN’s world, and we’re just living in it.

Where to Watch: M3GAN dances her way into theaters on January 6th.

Trailer: 

M3GAN Will Dance and Slash Her Way Into Your Horror-Loving Heart: Review
Cady Siregar

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