Susan Granger’s review of “M3gan” (Universal Pictures)
Aimed at teenagers and those who consider Artificial Intelligence (AI) a treacherous threat, this is a campy, cautionary tale about a creepy killer doll called, “M3gan,” an acronym for Model 3 Generative Android.
Her story begins with a horrific car crash as Cady (Violet McGraw) and her parents embark on a ski vacation, only to be hit head-on by a snow plow during an ice storm. Newly orphaned Cady is taken in by her workaholic aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), a software engineer for Funki robotic toys.
Unsure how to relate to grief-stricken Cady, Gemma consoles her with an experimental doll, dubbed M3gan, who soon becomes her best friend/confidante. Played physically by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis, the four-foot-tall M3gan android imprints on Cady, watchfully determined to keep her from being sad or endangered.
Problem is: Gemma’s company’s most popular product, furry PurrPetual Pets, has been ripped off by a rival. So her boss, David (Ronny Chieng), demands that Gemma immediately schedule a ‘live-launch’ of the expensive prototype doll with M3gan as traumatized Cady’s test-subject companion.
The conpany’s advertising campaign will cater to an upscale market of busy parents who would be willing to spend $10,000 to have technology provide a surrogate to assume much of their often-time-consuming parental guidance, like endlessly repeating “Flush the toilet,” Wash your hands…”
So there are the perennial questions: How much should we embrace technology? And what happens when it runs amok?
Satirically scripted by Akela Cooper and directed by Gerard Johnstone, it’s utterly predictable, low-budget ($12 million), Blumhouse/James Wan-type horror, trimmed from its intended R to PG-13.
Since it fits into the same genre, comparisons with “Annabelle,” “Child’s Play” and “Ex Machina” are inevitable…with kudos to New Zealand-based digital effects studio Weta FX.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “M3gan” is a silly, subversive, slashy 6, streaming on Peacock.
