M3gan: Movie Review

Cast: Alison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis
Director: Gerard Johnstone 

Less a slasher-filled fright fest and more a creepy commentary on failed parenting and hyper-aware Artificial Intelligence, M3gan bears many of the hallmarks of director Gerard Johnstone's 2014 outing Housebound.

With its razor sharp editing and quick comedy cutaways, the overall effect is more a mix of campy edges and horror tropes as the companion doll goes haywire.

When Cady (McGraw, sensational as she progresses through a range of emotions) loses her parents in a snowy mountain smash, she's forced to go and live with her robotics-work obsessed aunt Gemma (Williams).

Ill-equipped to bring up a child, Gemma manages to combine her work quest to create the next toy and her surrogate parenting needs by rushing out a protoype doll called M3Gan (described as Barbie on steroids at one point), M3Gan is coded to bond with Cady and protect her at all costs - but when her programming goes haywire after an incident with a neighbour's pet, M3Gan takes her job a bit too seriously....

Using a restrained rating forces Johnstone and M3Gan's writer Akela Cooper to be a little more creative on the horror stakes - and while the film comes from the BlumHouse wheelhouse, the drama may feel a little teethless to some who are after some bloodier edges.

But in truth, the drama works better as an example of coping with trauma and as a warning over parents spending less time with their children and using technology as a stand-in. Granted, the rogue AI story is nothing new, dating back to stories and the likes of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey since time immemorial. So what's done here is more like a rehash of familiar themes, doused in the TikTok generation memes and moments - but it proves to be good fun at the movies.

With a slow, deliberate and careful build up, Johnstone stacks the deck firmly into the creepy territory, with the dollface's slight and subtle facials changing proceedings as the movie plays out. With a lashing of menacing moments that feel odd and ethereal, there's no doubting M3Gan needs to be more creative, and while some of the characters feel blessed with some awful dialogue and delivery, large parts of M3Gan succeed.

In truth though, it's more a cautionary tale of a flailing emotionally lost child that delivers its cues to its protector, with Cady's volatility proving to be the catalyst for M3Gan's actions. 

M3Gan may be a crowd-pleaser, and a clever launch to a new horror IP, but it remains to be seen how any sequel will maintain the charm and surprise of the first, rather than roll out a line of soulless franchise moments.

As a potential first outing, thanks to a killer premise, some killer moments and an almost Uncanny Valley protagonist, this cautionary tale is eminently watchable fare. Just don't be surprised if at the end, you feel inclined to head home and turn off all your in house electronic helpers.