M3GAN
“M3GAN” continues the long running, ever evolving tradition of evil toys. What a simple concept that has proven time and time again to be a fun idea to work with. From “Child's Play” to “Dolls” to the “Annabelle” franchise, this idea has legs and variety.
“M3GAN” updates the idea by integrating the dangers of A.I. We saw this with the soft reboot of “Child's Play” in 2019 (which wasn't amazing, but it was way better than most people were probably expecting), and the idea of A.I. coming to kill us is probably more poignant than ever, because...um... it probably is? But the reality of A.I. danger is a conversation for another time, let's focus on the film.
“M3GAN” is a very slick looking movie, which impressed me so much because in reality it only actually has about 4 or 5 sets. It's a tightly conceived movie focusing on the attachment of a grieving newly orphaned child to her new “friend”, an adaptive A.I. toy named “M3GAN”. The child in question is played by Violet McGraw who at 11 years old is already proving to be an acting powerhouse. For sure if she keeps going, she'll land some big future roles after having starred in this and previously “The Haunting of Hill House”. The rest of the cast is very solid too, but Violet is the major standout.
But this movie is carried by it's titular villain, whose blend of live action, puppetry and CGI ends up being a winning combo of effects. Every scene with M3GAN looks great and I'm very happy to see the extent of practical effects. I'm devoutly against the over-saturation of CGI.
This movie also does another thing that I'm a big fan of, which is hit that sweet spot of marrying horror and comedy. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments. Scary wise this is actually a movie almost anyone could handle, which makes it very accessible to a large audience. You won't feel effed up if you watch it. Unlike something more intense like “Hereditary” just for one example. There are plenty of “creepy” moments, but nothing that would traumatize you. This is almost like an elevated “Goosebumps” movie, so teens and adults alike can enjoy it. And I absolutely mean that as a compliment.
The film has already had a sequel green-lit, so I'm excited to see where they take the franchise. This was a pleasant surprise and I'm always going to thrilled when we get new, GOOD, horror. A genre that frequently is filled with terrible entries, so when something is actually good, it shines so bright.
8.5/10
