[REVIEW] M3GAN
She's here, she's there, she's everywhere: she's M3GAN!, or Model 3 Generative Android, if you will. She's a box office hit who appropriately kicked off what is sure to be another banger year of horror cinema. Writer Akela Cooper's follow up to the hit camp classic Malignant is just as zany and enjoyable as we all predicted from the trailer, if not more so. M3GAN already has a sequel lined up for 2025 which is so rightfully deserved after this first installment that truly sings in every way, including M3GAN literally singing Titanium, sending the audience into a frenzy of laughter. M3GAN solidifies its place as a modern classic and the beginning of a franchise that feels fresh and exciting, and one that promises to capture audiences even outside horror fandom.
M3GAN opens with a commercial, which could more appropriately be categorized as a comedy sketch, for a new toy that resembles a knock-off Furbys called PurrPetual Pets. The commercial sketch draws the audience in and sets the tone for the film. This movie is a comedy and it is meant to be received as camp. We are here to have a good time with these ridiculous toys and are encouraged to participate in the chaos.
We then see our main character, a young girl named Cady (Violet McGraw), sitting in the back of a car playing with the aforementioned knock-off Kurby. She is on her way to a skii trip with her parents when suddenly the car is hit by an oncoming truck. Cady survives but loses both of her parents. Cut to Cady being taken into the custody of her Aunt Gemma ( who is a toy designer at Funki, the company responsible for the PurrPetual Pet and the soon to be realized M3GAN.
Gemma introduces her initial model of M3GAN, a highly intelligent robotic doll who looks and acts like a real girl, to her company only to meet rejection. Meanwhile, Cady is grieving her parents and feeling ignored by her aunt. In order to prove the worth of M3GAN to her company, Gemma activates her and gives her to Cady as a new friend. M3GAN bonds with Cady and Cady begins to recognize M3GAN as her guardian rather than Gemma. Due to this bond, M3GAN begins to become protective of Cady, which leads to her violent attacks. M3GAN slays a bully, the rude neighbor, the annoying dog next door, and finally she comes for Gemma. Anything that threatens Cady's happiness must be stopped and M3GAN is available to take care of it.
Every kill sequence of M3GAN may take place off-screen due to the PG-13 rating, but it doesn't stop those scenes from stealing the show. M3GAN's standoff with each of her victims is creative, gory (if only in implication), and hilarious. During my own screening, the audience was cheering for M3GAN and cackling at her outrageous methods of murder. She is swift and relentless, never leaving a trace that could point to her as the perpetrator. Until of course those around her begin to realize what's going on.
M3GAN is some of the most fun I have ever had in a movie theater and is a testament to the sharpness of Akela Cooper's writing. Cooper has created a villain who is laugh out loud hilarious with a style of humor that is surprising at every turn, which is one of the reasons it is so successful. Cooper pushes the envelope and isn't afraid to let her characters go to extremes. We ask ourselves "is M3GAN really going to go there?" and then she does! All while dancing her little tush off. The marketing of the film captured the culture in its manicured clutches, and the film delivered exactly what it promised and then some.
Behind the ruse of the murderous doll, there also lies a story about the importance of supporting children through grief, but also through childhood in general. Gemma realizes that she must be attentive to Cady's specific needs and comes to understand the consequences if she cannot provide that for her. The film could have given us a wacky villain with an empty plot, but Cooper avoids this by focusing on a found family relationship. M3GAN isn't just a camp queen, she is also a device to explore the trauma that occurs when a child is ignored by those around them.
If you have been interested in what our girl M3G has to offer, give her a visit at your local theater. And make sure to make yourself available for her return in January 2025. Happy slaying!