M3GAN

 3.5/4

Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Ronny Chieng, Stephane Garneau-Monten, Lori Dungey

Rated PG-13 for Violent Content and Terror, Some Strong Language and a Suggestive Reference

You'd be forgiven for assuming that "M3GAN" is a teen-oriented ripoff of "Child's Play."  After all, they have the same basic premise of an expensive doll that turns homicidal.  And the words "January PG-13 horror movie" are enough to send shudders down the spines of any film lover (and not for the reasons intended).  You'd be wrong, though.  The two films actually have very little in common.  Where as the Chucky movie was a black comedy/slasher hybrid, "M3GAN" is closer akin to Marry Shelly's Frankenstein.

The film opens familiar enough.  Young Katie (McGraw) is in the back seat with her eyes glued to an iPad while her parents try to navigate through a blinding snowstorm and argue about how much screen time is appropriate for the kid.  It doesn't last long, though, as they have a bad run-in with a snowplow.  Cut to a short time later where Katie is laid up in the hospital and her parents are laid up in the morgue.

It's left to Katie's aunt Gemma (Williams) to take custody of the girl, a prospect that the workaholic toy inventor isn't particularly keen about.  Gemma is the biggest asset at the toy company she works at, and has been tasked with creating a cheaper version of the hit toy she has created.  Gemma, however, has her eyes on bigger things.  She's intending on creating M3GAN (Donald/Davis), a robot who, for all intents and purposes, is a human being that is super smart and learns incredibly fast.  To test it, she gives the doll to Katie in the hopes of helping her heal.  It works all right, but what at first seems like a gift from heaven turns out to be a horror from hell as Katie develops serious co-dependency issues with the doll and M3GAN takes her "love and protection" of Katie too far and starts to leave a body count in her wake.

"M3GAN" is more ambitious than a simple tale of a killer doll.  It uses its premise to explore relevant issues of today, such as what constitutes good parenting, the positive and negative effects of technology on children, and of course, technology that we can't control.  For example.  Gemma clearly loves Katie and wants to do right by her, but pressures at work lead her to rationalize questionable behavior, such as leaving Katie alone for a few hours while she works, and using the doll to help her heal rather than herself.  M3GAN helps Katie, but the girl's attachment to the hardware leads her to depend on the doll too much and rely on it for things it cannot truly provide.  Is Gemma using the doll to avoid any real parenting that she is ill-equipped to provide?  It's an interesting question and I'm not sure if Gemma even knows the answer.

Few of the ideas brought up in "M3GAN" are new, but that's alright.  The spin that director Gerard Johnstone puts on these age-old questions makes them seem fresh and timely.  It helps that he has a usually smart script and a solid cast to bring the characters to life.  None of the cast members are big names (the biggest is Allison Williams, who had a lead role on HBO's "Girls"), which is effective.  The film proves that while big name actors have their place, it is not always wise to use them.  The plum role of Gemma is well played by Williams who plays the character not as a rockstar genius but more of a hobbyist with a nerdy side.  It makes her seem more grounded and relatable than your typical techie types in movies like this.  Violet McGraw, who at a young age has already built a solid resume, is impressive as Katie, who has found a way through her grief that is not exactly healthy.  It's a trickier role than it appears to be, and she handles it like a pro.  Chinese comic Ronny Cheung has some moments that are very funny playing Gemma's high strung boss David.

The problem with the film is that it's PG-13.  Some movies need intense violence and gore to truly work, and this is one of them.  I understand that the film was made with intention of getting a hard R rating, but was retooled for a younger audience in mind after the trailers became a hit on TikTok.  I wish the studio had the courage to keep it R rated because there is a definite sense that the film is holding back.  The terror and adrenaline that the film is aiming for feel muted.  Apparently footage of carnage still exists, and writer Akela Cooper hopes that an unrated version will be released on DVD.  I hope so too, because if the film as it exists now is any barometer, it could be irresistible.  Take the PG-13 rating to heart, as the film is as close to an R as can be found.  This movie is not for young children.

"M3GAN" isn't perfect, but it offers more than enough laughs, chills and thought to get a hearty recommendation from me.