It is the best toy a child could wish for. She sings, dances, reacts to your current emotional state and always looks perfect. But if someone threatens you, she murderously avoids the danger. We’re talking about the eponymous AI doll from the new horror film M3GAN, which has already gone viral with its first trailer appearance Hype on Tiktok kindled.
Jason Blum and James Wan are two promising names behind the Gerard Johnstone-directed horror film M3GAN and written by Malignant writer Akela Cooper. Like Malignant, this film unleashes an exciting new slasher icon on the world: a Chucky successor for the TikTok generation. Unfortunately, the debut of the horror queen a huge problem.
M3GAN combines the best of Chucky and Gossip Girl
After little Cady (Violet McGraw) lost her parents in a car accident, she is taken in by her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), who is unable to bond with the traumatized child. Therefore, the experienced robot technician of a toy manufacturer builds the advanced AI doll M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android) to help raise Cadys. And she is the undisputed star of the film.
See the trailer for the horror film M3GAN here
M3GAN – Trailer 2 (English) HD
As befits a horror film, the innocently childlike-looking android doll begins to develop an eerie and dangerous life of its own after just 30 minutes. She defies orders and pounces on any threat like a mama lion for the mental and physical well-being of its primary user, Cady. A misogynist boy has his ear ripped off before he is pushed in front of a moving car.
Yes, M3GAN is enjoyable mischievous like Chucky. But she is much more. What sets her apart from other killer dolls in the horror genre is her uncompromising penchant for theatrics and style. She always looks fabulous when she kills. Not only does she dress like a rich Upper East Side teenager from Gossip Girl, she puts on the matching one Megabitch attitude to the day and fires off one scathing comment after another.
Whether it’s threatening dance routines, a ride in a sleek sports car or singing numbers that come out of nowhere: M3GAN’s increasingly absurd behavior is great fun – also because the funniest scenes are presented with dry seriousness. But a horror comedy shouldn’t neglect horror either. Just this one unfortunately does not do justice to their beastliness.
Too little horror, too little gore: The horror film M3GAN isn’t as iconic as its killer doll
The film is never as nasty as its now iconic puppet killer. There is hardly any fear, horror and blood-soaked violence. Of course, M3GAN is more satirical horror comedy than ultra brutal slasher film. The first few minutes of the film make that clear in the form of a weird advert for shitting fake furbies. Still, at the end remains the feeling that the film never reaches its full potential.
Universal
M3GAN
Originally M3GAN was much heavier and bloodier, but had to be severely cut in favor of a lower age rating. M3GAN deserves their kills to be as poignant and stabbing as their endless oneliners. Without graphic and disturbing peaks of violence, the horror unfortunately doesn’t reach that level Over the top factorwhich distinguishes the main character.
The same goes for the rest of the film, by the way. M3GAN works as a smart satire about the relationship between people and technology and allows for many exciting readings. But the killer doll wheel is not reinvented here. The film follows the usual genre patterns too much for that and behaves too tamely. More bite, more horror, more macabre wit not only underlined the danger of networked AI more, but also let techno-satire hit more intensively.
Unfortunately, M3GAN largely falls short of the possibilities that its own concept could offer. Her doll slasher competitor Chucky is miles ahead of her. Fortunately, the film is already a real box office success in the US. The inevitable M3GAN 2 will hopefully be as crazy as the new horror queen deserves. Until then, the hope of a release of the uncut AI carnage remains.
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Will you watch M3GAN in cinema?