M3GAN (2023)

[Eric Loves Rey]

[filmlover]

This was actually really good! While the trailers have been selling it as a total campfest along the lines of something like Malignant, in reality this is more of a well made standard thriller with a strong hint of self-awareness that also has some interesting points to make about the consequences of parents circa 2023 relying too much on technology to raise their children. M3GAN earns her status before this was released as an instant classic horror movie villain between her Mean Girls-style quips and American Girl Doll-like appearance that make it all the more entertaining when she eventually snaps (I lost it every single time she randomly started singing ). Allison Williams (who could've predicted she would become a queen of horror?) and young Violet McGraw hold everything together.

 

It takes a while to truly get going (the title character isn't officially introduced until the end of the first act) and it can wear its influences on its sleeve (Frankenstein, Child's Play, Ex Machina), but it's a solid reminder that PG-13 early January horror movies don't have to be garbage. I look forward to the bigger scale sequel they leave the door open for at the end that's almost certainly two years away.

 

B+

[Morieris]

Good for general audiences. I was never bored, but I wasn't super engaged with it.

[Joel M]

A little dissapointed by how tame this was. It's fine but nothing close to this years Malignant. Should have been funnier and probably R.

[Napoleon]

I thought this was kinda disappointing and overestimated, there was nothing really special about it and zero surprises. It's exactly the movie you would expect from watching the trailer. A new horror icon M3gan is not.

[Webslinger]

A little late to the party on this one (saw it almost two weeks ago now), but hey, I've been busy.

 

Though it certainly delivers on its internet hype as an instant meme-ready camp delight, M3GAN also succeeds as a unique, compelling piece of sci-fi speculation. In emulating the feeling of a Black Mirror episode with its focus on well-meaning technological advancements gone horribly wrong, M3GAN works on a genuine level as an engrossing thriller that has something to say about our increasing dependence on technology as a replacement for human interaction and the ways in which we fail to anticipate the long-term consequences that spring from it. That it does so while also delivering a doll who slays just as much in the metaphorical sense as the literal one is just icing on the cake. The narrative hums along at a steady clip, and there is genuine excitement as the stakes get progressively higher in the build-up to a third act that nails the tricky balance between tension and campiness. In the lead role, Allison Williams does what is easily her best work since her performance in Get Out, making her character’s motivations feel understandable and nailing believable awkward chemistry with child actress Violet McGraw as the niece she initially has no idea how to raise. However, as expected, the titular character – played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis – walks away with the show every time she’s onscreen. Donald and Davis hit virtually each of M3GAN’s varied beats effectively. January releases usually don’t inspire much faith in me, and M3GAN is a film whose trailers had me ready to simply kick back and enjoy something campy and tongue-in-cheek, even if it wasn’t especially good; however, what the filmmakers deliver is both as fun as the trailers indicate and surprisingly effective in its higher-minded endeavors. 

 

B+

[Avatree]

I enjoyed it but it wasn't scary at all. Kind of a shame. Would barely call it a horror film.

[MOVIEGUY]

On 1/13/2023 at 1:22 PM, Joel M said:

A little dissapointed by how tame this was. It's fine but nothing close to this years Malignant. Should have been funnier and probably R.

 

I watched the unrated version, it's way better, kills are good, bloody fun. I watched the PG-13 kill scenes after and good lord they're lame.