What happens when you take the basic premise of the “Child’s Play” franchise and combine it with an American Girl doll-esque aesthetic? Admittedly not much in terms of a satisfying horror experience. “M3GAN” was released on Jan. 6, 2023, to overwhelmingly positive reviews.
The premise of “M3GAN” is inherently interesting albeit overplayed in the media in general. Much like the “Child’s Play” remake, the “Terminator” franchise or “Ex Machina,” “M3GAN” warns of the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). While “M3GAN’s” approach to this theme is interesting using horror as a vehicle to explore it, it feels like it just scratches the surface of the topic it is covering.
I can see “M3GAN” being a big hit for younger horror audiences, especially for younger girls who want to see what the horror genre has to offer. And from that aspect, I think that the film is a resounding success. It’s refreshing to see two generations of female protagonists being portrayed in a horror film. Though I have issues with the younger main character, Cady Ryan, Violet McGraw is very solid for her age.
Allison Williams, known for her performance in Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” is quite good as Gemma. Though I wouldn’t say Gemma is a particularly deep or fleshed-out character, Williams is convincing as an estranged aunt trying to build a connection with her niece. She’s convincing while interacting with M3GAN which could potentially be hard given that M3GAN is quite obviously not real.
While I hate to make the comparison because it is astoundingly apparent, “M3GAN” feels so similar to the “Child’s Play” remake. Essentially, Chucky (the doll and antagonist in the “Child’s Play” franchise) is reenvisioned as an AI doll that begins to kill people to protect his owner. “M3GAN” follows the same exact formula to a T. While I do applaud it for trying to have a stronger subtext overall, specifically the commentary on the struggles of parenting, it feels too similar.
Screenwriter, Akela Cooper, confirmed in an interview that “M3GAN” was originally shot as an R-rated film, eventually getting cut down to a PG-13 rating due to the success of the trailer. It shows here in the worst ways possible, unfortunately. Every kill sequence ultimately feels like there is a piece missing. While there are no down-right bad kills or sequences leading up to them. It’s more than apparent that there are pieces that were shot missing here. It’s disappointing but ultimately understandable.
Though I can’t say that I had a bad time watching this film, it simply felt like it was going through the motions so to speak. There really wasn’t a stand-out scene, kill or performance. Again, I think this mostly has to do with it being cut down to a PG-13 rating. This would be a fine enough horror film to find while scrolling through Netflix late at night, but I don’t see this film being worthy of the theater experience.
While there are far worse January horror films out there, “M3GAN” did nothing for me. Though competently shot, edited and performed, the film is not effective in providing scares or tension at all for that matter. If you like slashers and AI-centric horror, give this a chance. However, I believe that there are many films that cover the same territory much more effectively.
4/10
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