Hey, friends! This year at the box office is off to QUITE the start, and leading the pack is the wild new horror film M3GAN.
In case you haven't heard of it (or are unfamiliar with the memes that took the internet by storm way the heck back in October), M3GAN tells the story of a lifelike A.I. doll who's been programmed to be "a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally." It's basically Annabelle meets The Terminator, and it's as campy as it sounds (in a good way).
Written by Akela Cooper (best known for 2021's Malignant) and directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound), the film is produced by horror big hitters Jason Blum and James Wan. So, yeah, there are a lot of seasoned horror folks involved here.
And it stars Violet McGraw (who you probably know best from The Haunting of Hill House) as Cady, as well as Alison Williams as her aunt — and M3GAN's creator — Gemma.
BTW, before we get going here, if you want to know absolutely nothing about the film going into it, skip to the end for the TL;DR. I won't reveal any major spoilers, but obviously, I gotta talk about the film somehow!
So, here's the setup...
After a tragic accident, 8-year-old Cady goes to live with her workaholic aunt, Gemma, who, despite working for a toy company, really isn't good with kids. Gemma means well, but she isn't equipped (or emotionally available) to be a parent.
You see, Gemma is a roboticist at a company called Funki that makes ridiculous toys like Purrpetual Petz — robotic pets that won't die on you...in fact, they'll outlive you! But Gemma really only works there because it gives her time (and money) to secretly work on her passion project: M3GAN.
M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android) is a very lifelike doll that just happens to look like an Olsen sister, and it's been programmed to be a friend, playmate, teacher, and protector for the child that it pairs with. And it's something Gemma believes can revolutionize the world. She just needs more time to work on it.
And when Gemma has to unexpectedly care for Cady, she sees it as an opportunity to test out her creation and, hopefully, help Cady too. So, she decides to pair Cady with M3GAN.
Cady, unsurprisingly, takes to M3GAN immediately. She begins to come out of her shell, and M3GAN is there to listen to her feelings, help her through her grief, and also remind her to do everyday things...like flush the toilet!
Gemma's boss and CEO of Funki, David (played to hilariously angry effect by Ronny Chieng), eventually finds out about M3GAN and is pissed. But when Gemma demos her (interacting amazingly with Cady), David immediately sees dollar signs. "Will it cost more or less than a Tesla?!?" he asks. (The answer is less...$10,000.)
Everything seems perfect for a hot second, but because this is a horror movie, things quickly begin to go off the rails. Thanks to her programming, M3GAN starts to adapt, learn, and make disastrous decisions. She'll basically go to any length to "protect" Cady, even if that means killing.
Now, obviously, I'm not going to spoil how the rest of the film plays out (you 1,000% should go see this, and with an audience). However, you can rest assured there are a lot of highly entertaining scenes involving bully chases, paper cutters, and, of course, hilariously unapologetic dancing.
And, while this is technically a horror film, you should know that it's really not that scary. In fact, I'd say it's not scary at all — there's, like, MAYBE one jump scare. There are a few ~creepy~ moments, but the film is so self-aware of its preposterous situations that it rides the line of creepy and funny to perfection.
The performances are solid, especially from McGraw, who at just 10 years old (at the time of filming) is able to carry a lot of the emotional weight of the film. And Williams (who is also an executive producer on the film) really seems to be carving out a niche for herself lately as a modern horror queen thanks to this film, the popular Netflix horror Perfection, and, of course, her iconic turn in Get Out, and frankly, I'm here for it.
The story itself is simple, and if I'm being honest, predictable, but that's not to say it's bad. In fact, it makes for a really easy watch and that's perfectly fine. Sure, there's some pretty on-the-nose social commentary about the dangers of letting technology raise our children, but come on...we're all mainly here for one thing: watching a cute lil' doll terrorize people. And that's exactly what we get.
As for the star herself, M3GAN, the fact that she's already made a huge impact on pop culture — even before her movie is released — proves how big of an appetite audiences already have for her. And given her unforgettable performance and sassy lines, I imagine she'll rise to the likes of popularity right alongside other horror icons like Chucky, Freddy, Jason, and Michael.
TL;DR
In the vein of campy horror predecessors like Child's Play, M3GAN is another excellent addition to the subgenre of horror comedy films. Don't go in expecting to be scared, but you should fully expect to be entertained...because it truly is a wild ride. 8/10, would recommend!
M3GAN dances into theaters Jan. 6, and you can watch the official trailer for it here:
