If the first horror movie of 2023 is any indication, we’re in for another great year of thrills and frights from the most unlikely and smallest places.
I’ll restrain myself from waxing poetic about the amazing decade of horror we’ve had (we already did that here). But it’s a great sign for the rest of the year that M3GAN is already giving us a strong start, especially in a month that’s historically been rather flat, even when you consider the addition of regular Star Wars releases to the December calendar.
Doll Meets Girl
The premise of M3GAN isn’t going to wow you or strike you as incredibly original. Gemma (played by Allison Williams of Get Out fame) is suddenly responsible for providing care for her young niece Cady (Violet McGraw) after the tragic death of her sister and brother-in-law. But this development clashes with Gemma’s style as a lone career-minded woman (you know… the cold, dispassionate, disconnected backhanded career woman stereotype) and Cady’s untreated depression from her parents death. And wouldn’t you know it, Gemma also needs to desperately deliver at work. Enter M3GAN: Gemma’s pet project to use customer data to create an AI doll product, that is tested on Cady and subsequently strains her fraught relationship with Gemma.
You could sum it up as a AI-driven remake of Child’s Play (1988), but that misses the nuance and styling choices the film employs throughout (in fairness, the Child’s Play remake in 2019 basically took their stab at the AI angle). The first sign or departure from the mediocre, rehash territory is the opening scene that works as an ad for the Funki, the in-movie toy company. It’s funny, it’s poking at the structure of those commercials, and sets the tone for how much of a romp this film will be.
If director Gerard Johnstone had played this film a bit too serious, many of the later scenes would have fallen apart, especially as the body count starts to rack up. Sure, there’s plenty of performances like the voice actor for M3GAN (Jenna Davis) or Funki CEO David Lin (played by Daily Show‘s Ronny Chieng) that are rather hilarious and over-the-top, but those don’t distract from the moral issues they attempt to address.
Pop References
Speaking of the comedic bits, my screening had a blast with the dance moment (you’ll know it when you see it) and the song that happens mid-way through (again, you’ll know it when you hear it). Pop culture references can certainly be a double-edged sword…when used effectively they can real hit or they can bomb completely. For example, the Joker’s “you complete me” certainly took me off-guard when I first watched The Dark Knight, but it really worked. Recent attempts at making Elon Musk a genius, name dropping him with famous inventors (looking at you Star Trek) look incredibly silly with hindsight and current developments. Here, these references are going to really connect to a younger audience without alienating their older fans; a PG-13 rating doesn’t hurt either and it surprising works really well.
AI Moral Quandaries
Another key reason this film works is that the AI conversation’s aren’t token or simplistic. Veteran horror director James Wan co-wrote and produced this film along with Akela Cooper (who wrote the screenplay) and the duo really pushed past some of Wan’s typical tropes. That’s not to say he’s become completely predictable as many of his horror entries are very strong (like the main Conjuring films) but some of the weaker ones have fallen into a trope rabbit hole. Now it will be interesting if this becomes a series and starts to fall apart like the Chucky franchise before it, but for now it’s a great refresh on Wan’s model and hopefully stays in that direction.
For example, they really avoid the typical AI goes mad storyline. Yes, I realize that seems ridiculous given the premise but that’s not the main thrust. M3GAN isn’t killing or hurting individuals for kicks, thrills, or some malfunction, she’s learning what it means to protect someone that she bonded with. Sure, there’s a direct command given by her creator to protect Gemma, but there’s a mechanic that’s described early on about Cady and M3GAN bonding that makes the AI’s decision make sense, even if it crosses ethical boundaries of protecting life.
That cues up another interesting dilemma: if an AI is capable of proving the necessary emotional support that a child needs, what is the role of the parent? The answer (which I won’t spoil here) is honestly the only time the movie retreats to a weaker trope and could have been interesting to explore what a healthy family dynamic would have looked like with M3GAN in the mix. But even if this point is imperfect, it’s a level of detail or exploration that was really refreshing. This is the one part where Allison Williams’ performance as the cold single woman doesn’t really work because when the narrative needs to shift and repair the damage, there’s not enough time to make us care.
Conclusion
On first look, there’s a really simple and well-worn premise to M3GAN. However, when you sit down to experience the latest creation from James Wan and the crew over at Blumhouse, you’ll be delightfully surprised at how much they own and take the murderous doll story into new territory. It also doesn’t hurt to be laughing at the absurdity during the whole ordeal either.
Score: 8.5 of 10