M3GAN (2022)

M3GAN (2022)

 

7/10

Starring

Allison Williams

Jenna Davis

Violet McGraw

 

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

 

The movie has a nice blend of horror and humor. It delivered the thrill I needed for the day—a fun, entertaining surprise pack that earned its box-office hit status. Honestly, I believe everyone needed to see it. The movie is like Chucky (Child’s Play), but instead of a doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer, we have a possessive A.I.

I’m not surprised a part 2 is already in the works. I just hope they don’t ruin it by churning out endless sequels. There’s a scene in the movie where someone is stealing files related to the production of M3GAN, and I hope whatever plans they have don’t revolve around that.

What I appreciated was how the movie embraced its B-movie vibe without apology. The suspense was crafted so well that we didn’t need a supernatural possession to know the doll had evil intentions. The central idea revolves around an A.I. gone rogue, imprinting on a little girl and being hell-bent on ensuring she never sheds a tear again. The story starts with a drive to create something revolutionary—something that would blow the toy competition out of the water. That ambition led to the creation of M3GAN.

The little girl in the movie, Cady, loses her parents in a car accident and is placed in the custody of her aunt, Gemma. Gemma, however, is too wrapped up in her life as a programmer at a toy company to fully take on the role of guardian. Her latest project is M3GAN, an A.I. doll designed to help children grow and learn. Gemma decides to test M3GAN by having Cady imprint on her, making the A.I. see Cady as her primary operator.

Gemma’s shortcuts and added codes made M3GAN more independent and maternal than planned. This possessiveness over Cady intensifies, and since Cady is still grieving her family’s loss, she also becomes attached to M3GAN.

You can probably guess what happens next: possessiveness turns into obsession, leading to several unintended deaths.

The movie is a Blumhouse production, known for its low-budget horror films, many of which riff on mainstream movies we’re familiar with. Despite that, M3GAN is a fun watch anytime, it could be possible we are seeing an IP in the making.

What I would like is the next possible part 2 (if they decided they want to do it) should also be about someone else, so the movie can always have a fresh look.