As usual, I try to avoid trailers, promotional videos, or any spoilers before going into a movie. And since I had a rather busy autumn/winter awards season, watching tons of movies, that wasn’t too difficult for me to evade anything regarding M3GAN. All I knew was that it was a movie about an advanced doll, equipped with artificial intelligence, and that things would take a more horrific turn. However, I had no idea that this movie would be so damn funny! I had suspected that M3GAN might be one of those movies that could be so bad that it is unintentionally funny. But after sitting through this highly entertaining film, I now know that all the great comedy is intentional and executed quite well.
Allison Williams stars as Gemma, an intelligent roboticist who has achieved some success with a Furby-like interactive toy that has become a huge hit among children. As her money-hungry superiors demand the next big thing, Gemma aspires to change the world with a robotic doll and companion named M3GAN. Gemma’s life, however, gets more complicated and challenging when she must take custody of her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), following the tragic death of her sister and brother-in-law who were Cady’s parents.
In her attempt to juggle her career and the upbringing of her mourning niece, Gemma decides to activate M3GAN and test her by pairing the doll with Cady. Though M3GAN initially seems to be the answer to all her prayers, and the robotic doll manages to lift Cady’s spirits, it soon becomes apparent that the doll has become self-aware, and begins taking her programming way too seriously.
Written by Akela Cooper and James Wan, director Gerald Johnstone’s M3GAN proves to be a rather entertaining and often hilarious movie, that has the potential of launching a successful new franchise. While some of the scenarios can be rididulous and absurd, the filmmakers manage to make these moments appear as intentional, with their tongues planted in their cheeks. All of the jokes and gags work so well, and I found myself laughing often and heartily.
While the actors play mostly seriously, they still manage to find that perfect balance. The real star of the show is M3GAN herself. Combining digital effects, a physical performance by Amie Donald, and the voice acting by Jenna Davis, M3GAN proves to be a joyfully wicked and amusing character. I could totally watch more of these movies, if the filmmakers have the right script and the same level of direction and production that this first movie has.
And hopefully nobody reading this review think that I have completely spoiled this movie by stating this sentiment. You are certainly fooling yourself if you do not already think that this producers behind this film are praying for a big payoff to launch a new series. I sincerely believe that if Akela Cooper, James Wan, and Gerald Johnstone remain involved in the next entry, the next film could be another fun and wild ride.