Let me just cut right to the chase, the answer is, no. No, it did not. Now, this might be an unpopular opinion in a sea of positive reviews, maybe I expected too much from this film, but as I watched M3GAN I felt like I had seen it before. A combination of multiple tired story tropes, the film never tried to be anything that it wasn’t but it didn’t strive to be bigger than the sum of its parts either. It did try to push the narrative of the dangers of consumerism and what can go horribly wrong if technology is forced to advance too quickly but it’s been done. AI going rogue has been done before.
It’s All Been Done
The movie opens with Cady (Violet McGraw) getting into a horrible winter car accident that tragically kills both of her parents leaving her in the care of her aunt Gemma, played by Allison Williams (Girls, Get Out). Gemma is a brilliant engineer and toy designer but is completely unequipped to raise a child and she happens to be under the gun at work to deliver a new working prototype talking doll. A cheaper version of their best seller. The problem is, she isn’t wanting to do that project, she has her sights set on M3GAN, a walking, talking, learning and intuitive doll that will make everyone filthy rich. Gemma is obsessed with order and uses technology to make life easier, and gaining custody of Cady only causes her to double down on finishing the M3GAN doll. No doubt as a way to help raise a little girl that just went through a horrible trauma with a minimal amount of effort on her part.
Cady does receive visits from a child therapist to assess the situation and make sure that Gemma is in a position to care for her. Of course, the threat of Cady being taken away to live in Florida with relatives we never meet is held over her head, snapping her back to reality and Gemma very quietly tries to do better. Doing better in this case means finishing her project so the kid has a new piece of tech to keep her company.
Gemma is successful and the doll comes to life, voiced by Jenna Davis with Amie Donald providing her movement. I won’t lie, it is a very good combination and I felt like the doll was creepy from the word go. What follows are some sweet scenes of M3GAN learning from everything everyone does while those cold dead AI eyes just watch. I did laugh at Cady having to be reminded to flush the toilet, several times. If you have kids, you get it.
The topic of death comes up while the robotics team is running diagnostics which prompts Gemma to make yet another huge mistake, she instructs M3GAN to always protect Cady from harm, physical or emotional. We instantly know where this is headed. The next act is basically the AI learning about threats and even acting on some, she commits her first murder after Cady is bitten by the neighbor’s dog. Another quickly follows when a bully in the woods is being a bully and doing just all-around bully things. From there until the end, the film follows the natural AI monster movie progression, it slowly starts to learn that humans are the real problem and begins taking steps to not be taken offline. It only has one goal and that is to protect Cady, everyone and everything else is expendable leading to a predictable third-act climax that sets up a potential sequel.
What M3gan Got Right
Look, I’m not an AI monster, I CAN look beyond the things I found problematic to highlight some of what the film did really well. M3GAN was directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) who did a fantastic job setting the tone and keeping the pace moving. It’s a beautiful movie to look at from the lighting to the special effects, and the movie sounds amazing too. The sound design and soundtrack are on point. The film came from a screenplay by Akela Cooper and James Wan who usually have my attention without even trying. The acting is another strong point in this, no one tried to outdo anyone else and it’s solid all around. And lastly, you cannot say enough about this movie’s marketing, M3GAN has been everywhere the past couple weeks, and people definitely knew it was coming.
What M3gan Got Wrong
What it got wrong is the most important part of any movie, the story. It isn’t even so much that it got it wrong but more so that it has all been done before, and done better. The movie also featured zero likable characters, every single one of them were awful for one reason or another so by the time M3GAN started her tiny rampage I had no reason not to root for her. She was the most compelling character, which would have been fine had they leaned into that in a story capacity but they painted her like the problem, forcing us to want the unlikable people to win. There are good bones here, there is the possibility for it redeem itself, they definitely set up a sequel.
Conclusion:
M3GAN was predictable in every way, a formula we’ve all seen a zillion times. It was basically the Chucky reboot starring the voice of Mark Hamill without the benefit of having the voice of Mark Hamill. It did have some fun kills and an awkward dance scene but I don’t think that was enough to save it. It did deliver a message of the dangers of consumerism and the advance in technology, specifically the advancements in AI, all of which you can get in a number of other better films. If you don’t mind watching a story that you’ve already seen, done slightly worse, but with great visuals and decent special effects, than this could be a fun one for you.
M3GAN will be released in theaters in the US on January 6th
Watch M3GAN
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.