Skip to content

M3GAN

Written By:

Paul Mount
m3gan

Let’s face it; killer dolls have been done to (an often grisly) death in genre cinema. Chucky, Annabelle, Robert (best forgotten) and Fats in the underrated 1978 Anthony Hopkins chiller Magic have slashed and sliced and diced for decades, creeping out audiences with their stories of cutesy (or not so cutesy in the case of Chucky) mini mannequins brought to life by some supernatural MacGuffin or other. On the face of it Megan, Blumhouse’s latest min-budget horror directed by Gerard Johnstone, would seem to have very little new to offer its particular subgenre. But despite the fact that it ploughs a very familiar furrow – there are no real surprises and nothing especially scary – Megan works because it gives the idea a modern spin. The titular ‘living doll’ is a Model 3 Generative Android, an artificial intelligence that learns, observes, adapts and eventually goes off on its own killing spree. If Terminator has taught us anything, it’s that robots and AI aren’t to be trusted, and whilst M3gan is a bit too broad to serve as  Black Mirror-style ‘cautionary’ tale, its strength lies in the fact that Megan is a machine created by humanity rather than animated by some supernatural entity or other.

Gemma (Allison Williams), a roboticist at competitive hi-tech top company Funki, takes custody of her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) when the girl’s parents are killed in a car accident. Workaholic Gemma finds it hard to bond with the girl until Cady spots a failed prototype of Megan and her interest inspires Gemma to complete her work on a fully-interactive ‘doll’ that she pair-bonds with Cady.  Even as Gemma’s excited boss plans to launch this revolutionary (if hugely expensive) new toy onto the market, Cady and Megan are beginning to develop a fiercely-strong emotional attachment, and Megan is quietly self-improving and operating independently.

Despite the slightly derivative nature of its storyline, M3gan is a brisk and hugely enjoyable romp. Johnson ramps up the tension as Megan – her waxen, immovable face is unnerving enough even before the doll starts misbehaving – begins to operate outside her programming, and if her killing spree isn’t especially gory, with one or two exceptions, he manages to create some disquieting moments as Megan stalks her victims brandishing a knife and, in one sequence out in the woods, turns into a scuttling spider-doll as she chases her prey. The frantic finale goes full-on Terminator as the unstoppable doll does everything in its power to protect itself.

M3GAN is in cinemas now and hits digital on April 3rd

Paul Mount

You May Also Like...

outrun video game graphics by sega

OUTRUN Video Game Gets Michael Bay Movie Treatment

Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney are teaming up for a high-octane movie adaptation of OutRun, the classic Sega video game franchise. Originally released in 1986, OutRun challenged players to dodge
Read More
still from trailer of i know what you did last summer sequel

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER Sequel Debuts Trailer

The first trailer for the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel horror film has debuted online, just weeks after it premiered at CinemaCon. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, best known
Read More

Check Out This Awesome STAR WARS Fan Film

Now the dust has settled on Star Wars Celebration, the thirst for more Force-related content needs to be satiated. So why not watch this rather fantastic short fan film Echoes
Read More

THE REMEDY Heading to Fantastic Pavilion at Cannes

The new film from brilliant director Alex Kahuam (Failure!), The Remedy, has been announced for the Fantastic Pavilion at this year’s Cannes Festival, with the director in attendance. Alex said
Read More
ready or not sequel, ready or not: here i come taps sarah michelle gellar and elijah wood

READY OR NOT Sequel Taps Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood will be joining Samara Weaving in Searchlight Pictures’ Ready or Not sequel, Ready or Not: Here I Come. The film, which has already begun production, also stars Kathryn Newton, Shawn
Read More
weapons teaser trailer child running at night

WEAPONS Teaser Trailer Sees Children Disappearing At Night

The teaser trailer for Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger’s newest horror project, Weapons, sees children disappearing from their homes in a small town. “Those kids walked out of the homes,” someone says in
Read More