M3GAN

From producer James Wan (of The Conjuring and Insidious fame) comes a new film that is satirical and silly, even if it’s more creepy than scary.  After her parents die in a car crash, young Cady (Violet McGraw) is sent to live with her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams, Get Out).  Gemma is a roboticist who works at a high-tech Seattle company.  She is secretly using their resources to create a life-sized AI doll named M3GAN (or “Megan”) to be the ultimate companion.  When her boss discovers the project, though, he orders her to shut it down.

But Cady is lonely, uninterested in human interaction and constantly spending more time on her phone or with other electronics than her aunt.  So Gemma decides to complete Megan and pairs her with her niece, and the two immediately bond.  In fact, the AI is capable of helping with so many things that Gemma wouldn’t have been able to do, and Gemma tells her to eliminate anything that might threaten Cady.  Cady has fun dancing and playing with her new friend, although her aunt predictably has some concerns about whether or not the doll is ready for mass production.

Of course, the concept of greedy corporate executives, humans giving too much power to technology, or even killer dolls is nothing new.  This is Chucky meets The Terminator, plain and simple, and director Gerard Johnstone and producer James Wan know this.  Wan’s own Atomic Monster Productions is responsible for this, although his film Annabelle is about a killer doll.  It’s well-directed, with the titular character being a blend of talented voice acting from Jenna Davis, physical stunts from Amie Donald, and minimal special effects added for the deliberately Uncanny Valley look that makes you do a double take when you look at her.

The performances across the board are solid, most notably Williams, and dark humor is sprinkled throughout at just the right moments.  However, audiences looking for a gory slasher flick will leave feeling disappointed.  Watching M3GAN, it becomes obvious that the most gruesome moments were left on the cutting room floor (the camera will fade to black or cut away).  Obviously, the creators wanted a PG-13 rating so that they could attract more people and make more money.  It’s also a fairly slow burn, even if Johnstone and Co. manage to keep our attention.

By the time the credits roll on this film, I got the feeling that a sequel was in the works.  This wasn’t particularly shocking, given the crowd-pleasing nature of the movie dropped in a month that is usually full of cinematic refuse.  Even if it was nothing new, I had a good time with M3GAN, although you’ll think twice before giving too much agency to your Alexa.

Rated PG-13

1 hour, 42 minutes