Blumhouse Productions rarely bring anything to the table that falls short of excellence, and M3GAN doesn’t break the proverbial mold. Part Child’s Play and part Black Mirror, this latest horror hit is one hell of a ride.
So, what is M3GAN About?
When a young girl’s parents are tragically killed in a car crash, she finds herself under the care of an aunty, who quickly realizes she is in way over her head. After trying to bond with the orphaned girl, Cady (played by Violet McGraw), Gemma (Allison Williams) decides to finish an abandoned work project to literally make her a friend.
Cue the Model Three Generative Android, or ‘M3GAN’, to her friends. M3GAN is programmed to protect Cady – both emotionally and physically – at all costs. With machines being machines and taking commands literally, what started as a loving friendship quickly becomes something far more sinister.
The Perfect Introduction to Horror
We all have that one friend or relative that wants to watch horror movies but gets too scared when they do and this is the perfect movie to please these people. In fact, we would go as far as to say M3GAN is aimed directly at those wanting to dip their toes in the deep waters of horror. It’s definitely not what a seasoned horror veteran would call ‘scary’, but it’s definitely creepy.
Throughout the movie, there are no sex scenes or events, very few curse words, and no gratuitous violence. In short, if you have a young child that wishes to be introduced to the world of horror, M3GAN is the perfect entry-level movie.
The Hidden Messages Behind M3GAN
Despite the creepy doll and the movie being fundamentally a horror, M3GAN contains some valuable lessons. There’s a theme that runs through the entirety of the movie that also serves as a warning to parents that allow their offspring to become too enveloped in modern-day technology.
Of course, an android that’s taking its instructions too literally and to devastating ends isn’t a problem we need to cope with – just yet. However, M3GAN does raise many issues that are perhaps a little closer to home.
What Gives it the Edge?
While there are numerous killer doll franchises on the market, they all tend to involve voodoo, haunted dolls, haunted voodoo dolls, and invariably they’ll involve a supernatural entity of some kind. M3GAN, however, is a horror that could be very close to being a reality and in the not-so-distant future.
Technology is already used to replace parents in many different ways. Children globally are palmed off with an iPad or a games console to give their parents a break and/or five minutes of blissful peace (come on, we’ve all done it). M3GAN is used in very much the same way; to help a new guardian handle the difficult throes of raising a child. And that, dear reader, is the scary thing about M3GAN.
Summary
After reading a lot of opinions on social media, we were a little doubtful about the movie. However, thanks to the relatively speedy pace of M3GAN, those early feelings of doubt were quickly extinguished. The movie lives up to its hype and beyond.
It’s possible that too many people sat down to watch it expecting a chilling horror movie, with lashings of blood and psychological elements. M3GAN is far from such but brilliantly chilling all the same. If you plan to watch this James Wan masterpiece, do so without these expectations and just enjoy the ride – it’s pretty wild. Furthermore, the PG-13 age rating makes it far more accessible to younger audiences. M3GAN is a shining example of why horror doesn’t necessarily have to be well….horrific.
