Movie Review: M3GAN

 As a child, I never found such a creepy doll. I even have a few. I remember being traumatized by the Child's Play trailer when I was very young. Other than that, though, I never really thought about them...until recently, that's it. Weirdness. Incredible. Pop culture is rapidly learning to capitalize on our ingrained fears of dolls. It is in this way that the audience can understand M3GAN. Would this apparent amalgamation of Barbie and Terminator delight and frighten? Or will it end up in a cheap DVD case in the blink of an eye?

M3GAN follows Gemma (Allison Williams), a toy designer who has just about everything going for her. Well, her boss (Ronny Chieng) is a bit of a challenge. However, her life is thrown into a loop when her older sister dies in a car accident, leaving her daughter Cady (Violet McGraw) in the care of Gemma.

Suddenly, Gemma had an idea. Cardi is lonely and desperately needs a friend. Therefore, Gemma designed M3GAN. The robot does everything, including important parenting tasks that Gemma can't. However, things get bloody when M3GAN starts overtaking her programming (we've all seen those movies).

To be honest, I don't think M3GAN is that scary. Most horrors are based on jump scares. The richness of these will work for some (I'm a natural neurotic.) For seasoned horror viewers, these will likely fall flat. At the same time, most of the violence and gore is relatively light and takes place mostly off-screen.

That said, the movie does tap into some of the inherent "doll" eerieness, and the movie shines when it plays with the bizarre. You know these moments. M3GAN's expression changes, of course, only the audience noticed. Even seeing M3GAN leaning on her charger in a dark room was enough to induce a slight shudder.

Beyond this mild horror, the film's tongue is firmly in its cheek. M3GAN seems to enjoy playing with the ambition inherent in this narrative.

Many moments left the audience laughing out loud in a sold-out theater, making this a great movie to watch with the audience. This ranges from tongue-in-cheek doll commercials that should feel familiar to anyone who remembers "My Buddy," to M3GAN singing Cady's wistful "Titanium."

Perhaps it's the very nature of "Dolls" horror that somehow counteracts the horror. Even when the M3GAN was chasing down a victim wielding a greatsword, it was surprisingly easy to laugh. You cringe in a way because it's creepy, but you're still giggling. After all, it's a doll. It's funny in its absurdity. Dolls can't kill us...at least, not yet.

But at the same time, M3GAN's character designs go a long way in emphasizing the creepiness and mystery. Although her face is doll-like, the pint-sized character is impressive. That's mostly because this isn't just a computer-generated depiction. Both performers bring vibrancy and astonishing momentum. That said, she's not quite real either. There's a tricky line here, and the movie does a good job with the character.

At the same time, the film isn't afraid to tackle a complex and challenging story. Of course, the main storyline is an examination of grief. Cardi lost her parents. Gemma lost her sister. These characters hurt, and for better or worse, M3GAN is a Band-Aid. oops.

M3GAN finds an exciting relationship between Gemma and Cady. It's a complex situation that revolves around a child struggling with some real issues. McGraw certainly has more going on as it relates to the narrative, and she goes through a wider emotional arc. The young performer is charming, but some of her compositions feel abrupt, especially towards the end of the second act. While the narrative is hands-on between the two protagonists, the script could have benefitted from spending more time with Cardi. This will help develop some of what happens to her character by the end of the film and ease the rough transition of the character.

At the same time, there is an interesting examination of technology and its role in our lives. Come to think of it, this story may be even weirder than the main story of M3GAN. The idea that robots, smart speakers and automated assistants are increasingly present in our daily lives is creepy. Fans of shows like Black Mirror may find these low-key narrative elements particularly fascinating. There is definitely more to be said here, M3GAN has only scratched the surface.