When we hear the term “killer robot”, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator comes to mind. As far as killer dolls go, Chucky and Annabelle are our first thoughts. M3GAN falls somewhere in the middle. The film can be considered a small-scale version of “I, Robot” in which the robot gains sentience as it interacts with humans. Though the movie is more humorous than frightful, there were moments that helped with the film’s creepiness such as the quad-run through the woods and Megan’s trending “dance scene” that we’ve seen in the trailers. However, the overall presence of Megan herself is enough to make you cast a sideways glance at your Alexa device. Blumhouse films are not widely known for being bloody, rather they focus on the thriller aspect of the horror genre. M3GAN keeps up this trend with a character that is disturbing just by appearance alone. While we don’t get a full view of the kills, they are no less disturbing because you get the feeling of what is to come. This is thanks to the film’s PG-13 rating.
New Zealand born actress Amie Donald portrays Megan. The talented young actress performed many of her own stunts including the popular “killer doll dance” scene.
Props to the young actress Amie Donald who portrayed Megan and performed most of her own stunts including the quad-run where she chases after a bully and the film’s highlight, the “killer doll dance scene.” Playing a robot character can prove difficult for even experienced actors but Amie pulls it off with minimum effort.
When I saw the trailer for M3GAN, my immediate thought was, “This is going to be something cool.” At first, I was thinking that it could be comparable to “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” where the T-800 protects John Connor but does not kill, where as Megan will do the opposite to protect the girl from anything that she feels is a danger, including her aunt. Many would think that this is a ‘robot gone bad’ type of deal, but no. This is a robot doing exactly what it is told – be the girl’s companion. M3GAN begins innocently enough with a child who has experienced a tragedy and is using a “toy” as coping mechanism to help her through her trauma. They laugh and play together. The child even confides her feelings to the toy. The one thing you don’t want to do is take M3GAN seriously because it is not meant to be. The film is a mixture of horror, suspense and humor. There are no wasted moments be it seeing Megan terrorizing an obnoxious neighbor or her comforting her human companion with a song to help ease the girl’s sorrow. There is even an “anime” inspired fight scene during the film’s climax which I thought was pretty cool.
Megan (Amie Donald, left) is introduced to Cady (Violet McGraw) who forms a strong bond with Megan after losing her parents.
Overall, I enjoyed M3GAN. It is a fun, entertaining horror/comedy film with a little bit of heart. It proves that a film does not need to be huge in order to make an impact. Some of the bad acting can be overlooked along with a few cliches. All in all, this is a fun film. If you a fan of Chucky or Annabelle, I recommend seeing M3GAN. You will be entertained. Plus, robot girl has a good singing voice.
It’s 4 out of 5 for M3GAN.
The “infamous” Killer Doll Dance
#M3GAN killer doll dance pic.twitter.com/UaY6MwuZG0
— 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 (@_UniHorror) January 10, 2023
