M3gan (2022)

January 12, 2023 7:19 AM

Brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out's Allison Williams) suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House). Unsure and unprepared to be a parent, and under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair M3GAN, her new AI-powered doll/companion prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems--a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

Also starring Jenna Davis, Amie Donald, Jen Van Epps, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Ronny Chieng, Stephane Garneau-Monten, Michael Saccente, Arlo Green, Kira Josephson, Jack Cassidy.

Directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound). Written by James Wan, Akela Cooper (Malignant).

95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now playing in theaters. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (8 comments total)

This is intelligently made silly trash. Little of this is surprising or breaks the mold. As a comparison, it's not on par with the recent Orphan: First Kill, which is the goddamn Mona Lisa of intelligently made silly trash. But it's definitely fun. It's fluid, entertaining, and cheeky.

It's also PG-13 with mostly subdued violence/gore (though a dog does get killed, offscreen). So if you enjoy horror comedy vibes but don't vibe on exploding heads and whatnot, this is a good one for you. Just turn your head when M3gan grabs the bully kid's ear and you'll be fine.

Johnstone made Housebound which was hilarious and he turns out to be a good match for Wan and Cooper's newest "let's fuck around and get silly" horror script.

That 95% rating on RT is a little deceptive, in that I don't think critics are saying it's among the best of the year or anything, they're just at a high level of agreement that this is a fun little movie.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:25 AM on January 12 [1 favorite]

We saw this Sunday as part of a horror meetup group we are part of. I totally agree with what DirtyOldTown said above. It was fun but had very little substance and most of the premises fall apart if you think about it for more than a few minutes. Still we had a good time, though I doubt I will ever bother to watch it again. There is talk of an unrated directors cut so maybe...

Related both Housebound and Malignant were a whole lot of fun and worth seeking out.
posted by Captain_Science at 11:50 AM on January 12

I truly adored the disturbing toy commercials. Purrpetual Pets? That's gonna live forever on YouTube once someone rips it and uploads it.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:27 PM on January 12

Ooh, this is from the Housebound guy? That raises it a few notches. Not too many, given the above, but Housebound was one of the better horror-comedies I've seen in a long time.
posted by mediareport at 2:46 PM on January 12 [1 favorite]

Oh, M3gan is *definitely* a fun movie. Worth seeing.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:19 PM on January 12 [1 favorite]

An Interview With The Cop Who Stole ‘M3GAN’
posted by Carillon at 5:05 PM on January 12 [4 favorites]

A pretty fun movie for a January release, though I am a weenie who hid her eyes during the actual killings.

I appreciated the pains the movie took to show you "this person sucks a whole lot" before they get offed.

And oh god those toy commercials. Why did the Pets have humanlike teeth, why did they do that??? Very Ugly Sonic energy on those.

Strangely wholesome ending where the Neglectful Aunt realizes the error of her ways instead of getting offed for being a Bad Woman who Has a Career.
posted by emjaybee at 4:42 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]

It was a delightful romp. Lots of great moments even if they don't add up to much. Lots of referential easter eggs for horror fans. The entire theater was laughing away. M3gan herself reminded me of Lady Penelope from the British TV show Thunderbirds.
posted by Morpeth at 4:11 PM on January 22