Running time: 102 minutes
Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Jenna Davis, Amie Donald, Jen Van Epps, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Ronny Chieng
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
The story: When a talented roboticist uses AI to design the latest new toy, she has no idea just how advanced her invention will become.
The verdict: In recent months, I have purposely avoided watching as many film trailers as I used to. I love to be surprised by films and we’re all well aware of ‘trailer syndrome’ - an affliction in which trailers pretty much lay out the entire film in the trailer, making audiences feel like they’ve already seen the film and ruining reveals etc. The one place where I haven’t avoided trailers is of course the cinema itself and indeed I saw M3GAN’s trailer on a previous cinema outing.
The reason I mention the above is because M3GAN is a film in which the trailer pretty much lays out the film. M3GAN does exactly what it says on the tin and not a lot more. However, and this is a significant however - M3GAN may be one of the few films where none of that matters. Whilst M3GAN may not be the most original or shocking horror, it is a blooming fun time.
Bringing to mind a sort of Ex Machina for tweens or a Child’s Play for the iPad generation, M3GAN is much more akin to a horror comedy and those hoping for real scares won’t find them here. The film was re-cut relatively late to allow it to attract a teenage audience and I think you can tell. Apparently an uncut version is due to be released later, and I think it will be interesting to see just how gory it originally went. This is not to say that M3GAN doesn’t have effective horror elements, but these predominantly come from the inherent creepiness of M3GAN herself (which I’m a little nervous to write because you don’t want to upset M3GAN).
M3GAN engaged me from the very start and I was thoroughly entertained throughout. M3GAN does lean into several issues - our reliance on technology, technology as a replacement for human interaction, playing god, machines rising up etc. However, I felt that the main takeaway from the film was its entertainment value rather than anything more profound.
I’ve really struggled with a rating for this film. Whilst I don’t necessarily think it will prove particularly memorable, and I can’t imagine it will be a film I’ll single out come the end of the year. On the flip side to that, I had so much fun watching it and smiled throughout. I can also see myself returning to it as an easy watch horror comedy, and thus it has strong rewatchability for me.
With that being said, this rating is one that may very well change. M3GAN won’t be the best horror of the year but it’s a dang fun time at the cinema on a dreary January evening.
The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half
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