M3GAN is creepy, but while the story is a little predictable, it is still a fun movie.
M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a lifelike doll programmed to be a child’s most excellent companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by Gemma (Allison Williams), a brilliant roboticist, M3GAN can listen, watch and learn as it plays the role of friend and teacher, playmate, and protector. When Gemma becomes the unexpected caretaker of her 8-year-old niece (Violet McGraw), she decides to give the girl an M3GAN prototype, a decision that leads to unimaginable consequences.
The film moves relatively quickly and dives right in, minimizing the usual tropes and allowing more time for the comedy and the fun dialogue, with some creepy movements. It also gets the story really crammed in and delivers on the things that were shown in the trailers, which we don’t always get.
The writing is the funniest element of the movie, and I was not expecting to laugh during the movie. It’s quirky timed right, and funny in terms of natural it is. It is a bit corny, but it works very well to help add to the nature of the movie. It does lighten things up and tries to handle the darker tones to the point of reducing the killer element. It’s an ironic sense of justice in terms of what is happening that helps make the movie more manageable.
The acting is pretty good, not so much Oscar-worthy, but definitely a great display in the horror genre that makes it fun ad surprisingly emotional. Amie Donald is the star for the most part, her movements, tone, and versatility are the elements that make M3gan truly terrifying in terms of physical acting. Jenna Davis also adds a surprisingly deeper side, an emotional level that adds to those elements of a good character and shapes her to be more than just the psychopathic machine.
Violet McGraw is fantastic in her role, balanced but vulnerable as she evolves from tragedy to normalcy throughout the movie. She’s got emotional turmoil and extremes down, making her performance believable and sometimes a bit bratty but those bratty moments are minimal and used at the right times. Allison Williams is very good as a strong protagonist, believable, and focuses on a story element to help develop the character and make her a character you want to root for by the end of the movie.
The kills are creative at times, quirky, and very in tune with the ridiculous nature of the film and censored to the point of being watchable by many which is a good thing for those with weaker levels. They work fast and are not too drawn out, which is another winner in terms of time utilization and doing all that they want to do in one movie.
The model/CGI works so well and is what really makes the film work. Its realistic motions, skin, texture, and design are so amazing and it adds that level that will really get under your skin, which is what makes the movie so creepy and scary. Having a real person work, while adding computer elements shows the finesse and movements, which only makes things even more haunting.
Overall, M3GAN is a fun movie and there is no better way to describe it as just a fun laugh in the world of horror with a message about what AI can lead to if gone too far. The film has heart, with a few characters that are well-developed, but the android is the real star of the movie. The dialogue is well-timed in comedy and delivery, with a fast pace that gets right to the good stuff and is creative with the premise. The acting is great, but the visual of M3GAN is just stunning and the true source of terror. It certainly is not scary, more creepy than anything else, and much of this is due to its fast pace limiting so much of the buildup. The trailers have given us pretty much the core of the movie leaving very little to ponder as you head to the theater, but I would still recommend going and seeing as it still is a fun movie to watch.
M3GAN is now playing in theaters.
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