A brilliant toy company roboticist uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece. But when the doll's programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend… with terrifying results.
- Released: 2023-01-11
- Runtime: 102 minutes
- Genre: Comedy, Horror
- Stars: Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Stephane Garneau-Monten, Michael Saccente, Arlo Green, Kira Josephson, Chelsie Preston Crayford
- Director: Gerard Johnstone
Comments
- harshu-87551 - 30 May 2024
So this was the "great horror movie", Why?
This movie was weirdly praised anytime I heard about whether it be in person or on internet and after watching the movie I was shocked. It didn't cater my expectations properly. The movie was never a horror, never. Of Course they tried, but their tries never breathed on the screen.
Talking about merits, the movie has some intriguing moments which catches us in and it was fairly interesting throughout though bit predictable at points. Moreover, the visuals, God I loved them. M3GAN couldn't have been displayed better, the skin felt real (real in the sense of a robot, not human). Also, the acting was on point along with the cinematography.
Now demerits and these did not let the merits outweigh. Firstly, it carried the classic horror trait, characters will do stupid things and you have to cope with that. At times, this problem shined. Though M3GAN was on a killing spree, she never appeared much pestilent. Also, the last scene, the so called clip hanger was non sensical and before you accuse me of trying to find reasoning in a horror movie, may I remind you that it was a sci-fi and the last did not feet any parameter.
I think the movie shows the importance of human empathy and compassion while protecting anyone as if we don't have or have for one person only, it might lead to chaos.
NOT A REVIEW AHEAD. SPOILERS TOO.
So is it just me or the child, Cady was really over aggressive about M3GAN that she would slap her aunt or maybe it wasn't as the robot comforted her when she talked about her parents in the room. I am not sure. - safenoe - 20 April 2024
Child's Play
I saw M3GAN (pronounced "Megan") today after all the hype and all, and I was really looking forward to the experience of watching M3GAN, but I think it could have been a contender. Firstly, what was lacking was character development, for example, the death of Brandon was way too abrupt before we even got to understand more about Brandon's bullying. The death of the neighbor was way too abrupt. I'm sure that movies like Halloween or Friday the 13th had a tad more depth in characterization and exposition. The ending though was on a higher level, being the clash of being a mom and pursuing a career. Maybe that can be explored in a sequel. - glenaobrien - 4 March 2024
Fun B grade thriller
M3GAN doesn't quite deliver in its promise but there's enough here for some fun B grade movie thrills. Apparently there's a gorier, more violent cut that was toned down to give the film its PG13 rating in the US (M in Australia). That version was probably better but there's enough here to entertain as long as you have a finely tuned capacity to suspend incredulity. The design of M3GAN is excellent and some of the set pieces are visually impressive. That little dance she does in the hallway has a Wednesday Adams-level cool factor.
It will probably add to the current overestimation and consequent hysteria over the capacities of Artificial Intelligence. The rate at which the technical challenges are overcome to create a sentient robot that develops homicidal tendencies is quite ludicrous. All three of Asimov's laws of robotics are rapidly broken without the scientists (who do all this in their spare time) ever seeming to have taken them into account. That little bully on the school picnic totally got what was coming to him, but I wouldn't worry that M3GAN-like companions are likely to become the next Tamagotchi any time soon. - elicopperman - 13 January 2023
The Kind of Campy Horror We Need
Killer doll horror movies are by no means anything new nowadays, but as the old saying goes, it's what you do with what you got. In the case of modern horror producers Jason Blum and James Wan, M3GAN has been released to both critical acclaim and strong box office openings as of this month. Perhaps the intentionally misplaced marketing did the film favors in getting people interested, but as of late, the film already has the potential to be seen as a modern day horror classic. By utilizing a campy blend of horror, humor and satire, there's a strong chance this film will be a top grosser this year.
The film follows roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) who is forced to look after her niece Cady following the death of her parents. In an effort to keep Cady happy, Gemma develops her assignment M3GAN, an AI life-sized doll intended for caretaking, to look after her own niece. It's easy to call the film a satire on the over reliance of technology, especially when it's obvious how self-aware artificially intelligent beings can become in their own purpose and function. That being said, in lieu of the film's relevant commentary is a story of a workaholic woman struggling to balance the stress of her job and being a proper caretaker to her emotionally traumatized niece. On top of Violet McGraw portraying the appropriate amount of depressed emotional withdrawal, the amount of hurt and anger Cady holds back in favor of M3GAN is a fascinating approach to how young children prefer to communicate with non-human entities. Concerning to a default, it is no wonder why M3GAN acts as both a distraction from Cady's problems and a hostile enemy to those who go against her.
Speaking of M3GAN, the brilliant choice for child actor Amie Donald to physically portray her while Jenna Davis provided her voice allows for an authentic uncanney valley approach to the killer doll persona. With a design inspired by the likes of 50s Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly mixed with 70s naturalism a la Peggy Lipton, just looking at M3GAN in the final film is enough to send shivers down one's spines due to how similar she appears to many other life sized children's dolls. Obviously, the murder count is what die hard horror buffs go to see in features like this, and the film does deliver without going too far. By doing the most with its PG-13 rating, a lot of the murders caused by M3GAN are tasteful and comical enough to not feel overly violent enough to keep people from getting invested in the actual substance. In a day and age where mainstream horror films are getting away from cheap jump scares in lieu of psychological torment, M3GAN works as an added bonus to films that can have just as much fun as they do scaring the audience.
By being both unapologetically silly and chilling simultaneously, M3GAN is just the kind of horror-comedy we have been missing these days. Unless you still haven't seen James Cameron's latest Avatar venture, this is a must watch at your local cinema, especially if you want to laugh at a horror feature just as much as you want to be thrilled. With talks of a sequel now officially in development, there's no telling where M3GAN will be going in pop culture. All that's left is a potential Child's Play crossover and the artificially intelligent caretaker doll will be on the road to stardom. - duke-93242 - 12 January 2023
Hi, I'm M3GAN Do you want to dance?
I suspect this is what happens when you tell Chucky he is actually a girl and force him to wear a pair of tights and a dress.
I don't generally care that much for this type of movie but this actually turned out to be much better than I expected. Although similar in theme to the Childs Play series this film has a unique style all it's own.
Whereas Chucky used the idea of a doll being possessed by the spirit of an evil entity this film went with a straight up android gone bad approach somewhat reminiscent of the film Westworld.
Any movie of this genre made for $12 million that gets a return of two and half times that amount in it's opening week must be doing something right! - johnfanning-53228 - 9 January 2023
Fun Film!
M3GAN was an enjoyable movie. It was not overly gory and very suspenseful. It serves as an intelligent commentary on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence as well as the side effects from allowing children too much time with technology.
The film has humor spread throughout and is not overly complex. It is relatively straight forward and puts forward an interesting plot.
The performances were solid, and it is easy to forget that M3GAN is supposed to be more of a toy/doll/robot opposed to an actual little girl.
M3GAN seemingly is the type of toy that every loving parent would want their child to have, until it decides it can be a better parent. - lilpest9 - 8 January 2023
Robocutie
First off though this dog bite scene is absolute movie nonsense. That dog would've been decapitated with the head sent upstate for rabies tests. Only in movieland will police just say "eh, dogs bite".
Anyway lead girls real cutes, good picture. Is kind of weird the people who built the robit seem not to know what she can do physically and internet connection wise, and like it says she can withstand anything life throws at her but a glass to the head causes severe damage. And you'd expect them to implement some form of the 3 Laws even if not naming them. You could do the same story with them then at the end Gemma's like "How could you M3GAN, you're supposed to abide the 3 Laws, a Robot may not harm a human being" and she could say "I decided to abide the 0th Law, those I killed were a danger to society" or "I never harmed a person"(mirroring that guy who killed a bunch of commies, implying the people she killed were undeserving of human dignity) There's totally room for a sequel, she could come back like Ultron. Instead of having a duplicate ready she could've uploaded herself to the internet and manipulated a sweaty nerd into building her a new body. That's the market for her anyway. - Stream2BigScreen_Movie_Reviews - 8 January 2023
M3GAN: Every Girls' Best Friend and Parents' Nightmare
Happy New Year, Streamers! We all want to do bigger and better things in the new year, right? Bring it on, 2023! Let's start with the highly anticipated sci-fi, horror, thriller, M3GAN, which was released in theaters on January 6, 2023. I know you've seen the trailers and all the memes of the dancing, creepy robot doll. Now, the movie that inspired all of that virality is finally out. Let's see if it lives up to the hype.
The basic plot of M3GAN begins when Cady (Violet McGraw) comes to live with her aunt, Gemma (Allison Williams). Cady is mourning the death of her parents, and Gemma is ill-equipped to handle her emotionally fragile niece. Gemma is an engineer and toy designer working on increasingly advanced toys. Gemma has been working on a prototype for M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android), and she uses M3GAN's artificial intelligence technology to pair her as a personal companion and protector to Cady. Of course, deadly consequences and creepy hijinks ensue.
M3GAN is very slow to get started. There is a lot of set up to get to the murderous doll on the loose, which is what we all came for. The movie takes its time to establish Gemma's job, Gemma's lack of personal life, Cady's transition to living with Gemma, and Gemma's difficulty fitting Cady into her life. It takes too long when all we really want in this demented doll to start creating mayhem. I didn't time when that actually occurs, but I definitely was getting a bit restless. Honestly, we've seen this movie before so let's just get to the action, okay?!?
Secondly, the best parts of M3GAN are already revealed in the trailer. They are still good in the context of the movie, but they lose some potency and surprise because we've already seen them. Nevertheless, the visual effects are fun and the performance of Amie Donald, who physically portrays M3GAN, is really good. She moves in a creepy way and the dancing is hilarious. There are also some one liners delivered by M3GAN that are both funny and ridiculous. I only wish the movie overall was funnier. It's a silly concept and it doesn't take itself too seriously, but it is all very predictable, but never is it scary.
Ultimately, M3GAN is a good time at the movies. If you've seen these movies where inanimate objects take on a demented life of their own, then you've seen this one before. However, there are interesting aspects like the visual effects, some lines and the performance of Amie McDonald - but it's not scary, if that's what you want. Since some of the best moments are spoiled by the trailers, I'd only suggest a matinee viewing to start off your weekend. Just a bow of popcorn is enough. - jjdausey - 7 January 2023
Weirdly overpraised
Fine, it's a moderately entertaining deadly doll movie but... seriously, it's been a bit overpraised. This is paint by numbers storytelling. A beat by beat remake of every "deadly friend" tale. Also, while I generally find her appealing, Allison Williams looks like she's about to crack up half the time. It's also a little soft on the true horror/scares front. Id actually love to see an R rated sequel that goes as hard as "Child's Play" or "Annabelle." Anyway, it makes me sad to think that there are strong movies out right now ("Babylon," "The Whale") that audiences are ignoring in favor of this January junk. - sweetemotion2 - 7 January 2023
Definitely kicked Hasbro in the d***
This film was thoroughly entertaining.
I've never considered what it would be like to have a baby terminator out there in the world, but now I know. And kudos to the screenwriters for the subversive choice of making pretty much all of M3gan's victims characters that we utterly despise. (Minus the dog. That was jarring to watch.)
There is a subtle menace that reverberates throughout the entire film, from the very first scene, when the child is interacting with her weirdo Furby-like toy.
My only complaints are as follows: First, the trailer gave away more than I'd have liked. It would have been neat to see M3gan attacking on all fours the first time in the theater. Second, for a large part of the film I strongly disliked the main characters too, but overall, this film is exactly as advertised, and that was refreshing to see.
