There is a tendency for movies released in the first week of January to be utterly disposable, but M3gan is not one of them. After months of marketing across social media, with videos of the creepy dancing doll littered all over TikTok, it’s no surprise that Universal’s newest horror broke this trend.
There is no arguing against the fact that the film is full of cliches. Produced by Blumhouse, the film stars Get Out’s Allison Williams as Cady’s workaholic aunt. After recently being orphaned, nine year old Cady (Violet McGraw) has to go and live with her aunt Gemma. Gemma just so happens to work at Funki, a technology company focusing on the creation of Furby-like toys called Perpetual Pets.
Realising she is not up to the task of caring for her niece alone and noticing Cady’s interest in her work, Gemma builds Cady a realistic animatronic human, M3gan (Jenna Davis and Amie Donald), to be her friend. It’s not hard to guess what happens next.
There are moments that are clearly designed for the film’s viral marketing, like the strangely addictive dance scene and not one but two song breaks, including the creepiest rendition of ‘Titanium’ you’ll ever hear. But the fact that nothing the film does is new or revelatory is exactly what makes it so great. It is so clearly aware of itself, aware that it follows every single killer doll trope, and yet it was met with praise and almost a cult-like following.
The plot is predictable, but that seems to be the point – M3gan is simply a fun, satirical play on the horror genre that does not need to be taken seriously.
Opening with a hilarious fake commercial for Funki’s Perpetual Pets, the film is immediately easily watchable. Perhaps this is down to Blumhouse’s clever marketing, leaving audiences hooked and looking for the first glimpse of M3gan. The plot takes a little while to warm up, but this is redeemed by unexpectedly thoughtful scenes delivered by McGraw and Williams that seem to be plucked straight from a drama.
The film delivers more laughs than scares, which is why it has been so well received. There are so many new additions to the horror genre being created and released constantly that some relief in the form of a satirical film about a killer doll is so welcomed. As January debuts go, M3gan is a fun and enjoyable film, fully redeemed by its self awareness and purposeful humour.
3.5/5