M3GAN by Urizon

 

   I demand a M3gan and Child's Play reboot crossover immediately.

   M3gan was a movie that as soon as I saw an image from it, I knew I did not want to see it. There was something about the overall look of this thing that just made me so uninterested. I didn’t even watch a trailer for it. Yet, maybe a few weeks ago, I went to the movies and saw the trailer while there. Was surprised that it looked pretty decent. Was better that it seemed to not be taking itself too seriously. So, after a while, I gave in and went to see it.

   Starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw and Jenna Davis, M3gan tells the story of Cady, a young girl who goes to live with her aunt Gemma after her parents are killed in a car accident. Gemma is a toy developer at a major company called Funki. She is dealing with a deadline to come out with a new hit toy to compete with the other on the market. Her solution is to make an artificial intelligence doll that pairs with a child, playing and bonding with them so that they never need another toy again. The doll, named M3gan, quickly bonds with Cady and helps her to overcome her trauma, but also begins to take it too far, becoming hostile to anyone who comes between her and Cady.

   This movie is surprisingly good. It had a lot of camp and humor to it, along with some good satirical elements to it. I laughed a decent amount unexpectedly, as did the others in the theater. My only wish is that there were more horror elements to it. Yet again, I think this really would be good paired with the new Child’s Play reboot. Both characters are AI in dolls that are just super over protective of the child they are bonded to, to the point that they resort to violence in order to protect and be with them. If only Child’s Play could get a little of the humor and feel of this one.

   All of the acting in this movie is pretty good as well. The only times it felt off a bit, it still worked just due to the tone of the film. The campiness really helps and benefits this movie a lot. Honestly, Violet McGraw did a surprisingly good job as well. Then again, my expectations for child actors can be rather low. Still, she did a good job. When she needed to be someone to sympathize with, you did. There were also plenty of times where she felt like such a genuine brat in a way that was almost too realistic.

   As far as visuals go, things all looked really good. The design of M3gan was pretty cool and the CGI was decent. She falls into a nice median of looking like a human, yet being not quite right. I also liked her vocal effect. For a good chunk of the time, she sounds perfectly normal yet every once in a while, there will be a bit of a robotic effect in her voice that reminds me of Glados from Portal. It could be a bit menacing and really helped change the tone of the film. I loved it.

   Overall, I think M3gan is a surprise hit this season. I am happy that I gave in to go see it, and a bit upset at myself for judging it based on the one image, especially now that I appreciate the look of the titular doll more. I do wish we could get more movies like this one actually. I miss a bit more of the campy horror feel of movies like this, Child’s Play and Evil Dead. I hope that this does well enough to bring on more of the genre. This all to say, I very much recommend M3gan. It is a bit of a refreshing change of pace from what we have had recently. If you are a fan of the more campy, horror comedy genre, you should definitely check it out. You might just make a new friend in this movie.