Reviewed by: Jonathan W. Hickman
movie details:
Director: Gerald Johnstone
Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amy Donald, Jenna Davis, Jen Van Epps, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Ronnie Chen, Lori Dungey
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Execution time:
Available for wide theatrical release
review:
Ghosts in machines are nothing new in cinema. Ever since the self-aware computer HAL in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey refused to open the ‘door of the pod’s bay’, the film’s fear of artificial intelligence I appealed to Underlying that concern is that machines might behave like us, computers might become human just like us.
In “2001,” HAL 9000 (perfectly voiced by Douglas Laing) spoke in a gentle monotone, but the language used by the machine was wholly organic and eerily familiar. HAL used “I” to refer to himself, often combined with the empty adjective used as a meaningless refrain of “I’m sorry.” HAL’s continued use of “I’m sorry” has never been encouraging.
“M3GAN”‘s murderous robotic puppets are thanks to HAL and all the sentient gimmicks littered throughout cinematic history. Director James Wan, who started his career with his blockbuster ‘Saw’, has been given story credit for ‘M3GAN’. He said the concept began with the question, “Wouldn’t it be cool to make a killer doll movie where ‘Annabelle’ meets the ‘Terminator’?” And that’s pretty much everything you need to know about the movie.
His previous killer doll movie, namely 2014’s Annabelle, which he produced, treated dolls as supernatural conduits. The doll didn’t actually kill anyone. Instead, sinister entities wreak havoc through inanimate objects. “M3GAN” takes that idea further in the most obvious way possible. And since viewers are content with murderous artificial intelligence conceit, it works on an exploitative and funny level.
In “M3GAN”, preteen Cady (Violet McGraw) loses her parents in a devastating car accident. Her aunt, Gemma (Allison Williams), reluctantly steps in to gain custody of the little girl. Gemma is a super-smart computer engineer and roboticist who works for a giant toy company. The company’s latest gadget is an iPad-linked interactive doll. It expands screen time beyond the screen by letting kids control tangible furry creatures.
But Gemma is working on bigger things for the company. She and her team, which includes her fellow engineers Tess (Jen Van Epps) and Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez), created her doll named M3GAN, which stands for Model 3 Generative Android. This lively companion is the last toy anyone could ever want.
Under pressure to deliver products on time for her employer, Gemma doesn’t have time to play mom to a distressed Caddy. Gemma’s solution is to provide Cady M3GAN. This almost supernatural pairing has immediate consequences, with Cady seemingly breaking out of her post-traumatic shell.Of course, bonding with dolls is unhealthy, but Gemma has her warnings. Ignore sign.
In one moving sequence, Cady and M3GAN unite in a private presentation to Gemma’s company executives. This great scene shows off McGraw’s acting prowess, and she could very well be the next Haley Joel Osment. The audience will burst into laughter to ease the tension.
Of course, the evil toy company sees this invention as a means of making a profit, and rushes into production. And with Mad Dash, Gemma and her team cut a corner and cede more and more power to the puppets. The result teased in the movie’s trailer is nothing new under the sun, and the “Terminator” comparison is spot on, as M3GAN will be her one-puppet killing machine.
“M3GAN” may not break new ground, but it is a clever piece of work that greatly benefits from manageable execution times. More important, thought-provoking, existential questions remain, but the screenplay written by “Malignant” screenwriter Akela Cooper largely uses these deeper elements to create some fun We are staging an action set piece.
This movie is violent, but it comfortably fits in a PG-13 rating. I don’t think it benefited from the R-rated bloodshed. The joy here is watching the puppets tear people apart as they dance eerily through the hallways of the headquarters of a soulless corporation. I think it will be explored in the sequel to “M3GAN”.
It’s hard to ignore the comparison to the 1988 movie Child’s Play, which featured a haunted doll named Chucky. Of course, the introduction of computer and robotic technology into the mix helps differentiate this story from that movie. are also concerned with creeping up on us and inflicting financial scares. Especially when the terror and sickening laughter are so well produced.
If you want satirical, intelligent commentary on our perilous addiction to computer assistants, look elsewhere. I recommend looking for the movie “After Yang”.
Despite some genre limitations, “M3GAN” is a fun addition to the artificial intelligence runaway idea. Nothing but a horror movie that desperately wants to entertain, without being provocative.
