MOVIE REVIEW – M3GAN, which takes the themes of AI, Detroit Become Human and Blade Runner, is a life-size “android doll” that becomes the “best friend” of a little girl after a tragedy in her life, courtesy of a game developer – and too much of one. And when such an “aggressively loving” android is your best friend in a sci-fi horror, not much good can come of it…

Technology run amok and killer androids are hardly a new idea anymore, but “M3GAN” nevertheless finds a way to add cleverly and with enough self-deprecation to the genre, with a suitably hair-raising and funny horror story, made all the more entertaining by the fact that it takes place in the very near future. And for parents constantly worried about their children glued to their video games, the possibility of a murderous android baby companion is the perfect theme for a horror film.

Robot babies and robot pets

Between Blumhouse Horror and Demons, James Wanja is the producer (who also shares the story with screenwriter Akela Cooper) and Allison Williams stars as a well-meaning but slightly off-kilter researcher at a robot doll manufacturer whose best-laid plans regularly go horribly wrong.

Gemma Williams, known from the horror film Get Out, is forced to take in her suddenly orphaned nine-year-old niece Cady (Violet McGraw), who has lost her mum and dad in a car accident. Gemma is single and dedicates herself to her job, which happens to be developing products as a roboticist for a toy company, including a hilariously silly toy called Purrpetual Petz, the perfect high-tech pet for a child who has been previously traumatised by the burial of a furry friend.

Child and robot bonding

But Gemma has set her sights on a much more ambitious product, a human-like android that bonds with its child owner and learns from their interactions. At a loss as to how to deal with Cady, she gives her a prototype of the Model 3 Generative Android, or M3GAN for short, which fills a void in her life while impressing her uptight boss (Ronny Chieng) with its tantalising commercial potential.

M3GAN is a true marvel, at first with only a few minor flaws that, let’s say, could give anyone the wrong idea, but then, no one here seems to have watched Blade Runner and other sci-fi movies about runaway, evil androids.

Of course, as we’ve come to expect, all hell soon breaks loose as M3GAN’s desire to protect Cady and spare her pain turns increasingly aggressive, and he doesn’t spare the safety or lives of others who might harm her for one reason or another.

M3GAN is a warning

Director Gerard Johnstone builds nicely towards these moments, cleverly allowing time for the story to build before the gory events kick in. The film is also a clever meditation on the dangers of technology taking on the role of the ultimate babysitter, as Cady herself becomes a little monster when deprived of the company of M3GAN.

In this sense, “M3GAN” deftly grasps the needle to serve as a warning, while still bringing the necessary tension and horror with its modest means and within the confines of a PG-13 rating, all in a generally audience-friendly manner. Even Gemma’s cluelessness about child-rearing works mostly on a comedic level, we mostly laugh at it and it doesn’t feel tiresome, as the film doesn’t take itself too seriously in this area either.

Horror has been one of the most reliable genres at the box office since the pandemic’s beginning, and “M3GAN” looks set to continue that streak. If so, M3GAN may not be the last model to roll off the Blumhouse assembly line. I enjoyed the film despite its minor flaws and came away from the screening with pleasant feelings.

-BadSector-