"M3GAN" - Film Review
Humans have been afraid of their own creations since the beginning of time. Surely, cavepeople learned the dangers of fire through trial and error. It’s summed up so perfectly by Jeff Goldblum’s character in Jurassic Park: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.” Or, less eloquently, you fuck around and find out.
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That should be the unofficial tagline for M3GAN, the latest from the endlessly churning Blumhouse team. This time, an artificially intelligent doll, M3GAN (voiced by Jenna Davis, body movements by Amie Donald) wreaks havoc on a traumatized young girl, Cady (Violet McGraw), and the community. M3GAN is the product of Gemma’s (Allison Williams) secret project. Her day job is writing code for a toy company (think Furby, but borderline sentient), but when her sister dies in a car accident and Cady is placed in Gemma’s care, her focus turns to perfecting M3GAN.
If you were quizzed on the potential plot points of M3GAN before stepping into the theatre, you’d probably come fairly close to the actual film. Woman forced to reckon with the consequences of her scientific/technological masterpiece because she doesn’t stop to think about the potential issues that come with making a super-strong, sentient, titanium android. That’s not to say that M3GAN needed to have a brand-new take on this story to prove its worth. The sheer abundance of technology at kids’ fingertips is anxiety-inducing. Sure, there are immense educational and social benefits to technology, but what happens when adults put all the parenting in the hands of the devices? What does it do to kids whose only socialization is with the cartoon characters on their iPad games? At times, M3GAN feels like a direct attack on parents using iPads as parenting, but then takes on a more neutral stance. Learning about technology is beneficial, but it can’t replace person-to-person communication.
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M3GAN is an odd ride to say the least. One look at the titular robotic doll (let alone the clip of her dancing) lets you know that the film doesn’t really take itself seriously. However, M3GAN is oddly restrained throughout most of the film, awkwardly toeing the line before fully committing to its inherent campiness. When the film does decide to let go, M3GAN is wacky and wonderful. Kira Josephson has maybe five minutes of screentime as a teacher at a prospective school for Cady, but it’s her exclamation upon seeing M3GAN for the first time that stands out. Sometimes Williams plays her character too straight, while McGraw is giving a heart-wrenching performance that simply doesn’t line up with the film’s odder moments.
M3GAN is a safe play. It’s a little weird, but nothing truly off-putting, vague enough to appeal to a multitude of demographics. At its core, though, there is a truly off-the-wall version more akin to last year’s Orphan: First Kill, a film that reveled in its absurdity. If anything, M3GAN could have been even more wild. We can only hope that’s the path the studio takes when the (inevitable and hinted at) sequel comes to fruition.
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