M3gan Review: Move Over Chucky, There’s A New Doll In Town

M3gan movie review: Move over Chucky, there’s a new doll in town and she can sing and dance! The perfect combination of humor and horror, M3gan came to play!

Chucky is a well known murderous doll, but he has some serious competition now thanks to M3gan. She is an AI doll and she came to play in her new film. This movie is not messing around in delivering a whole lot of creepy vibes, some brutally fun kills, and even a fair amount of laughs. It perfectly combines humor and horror to give viewers a truly fun experience.

The story itself is nothing groundbreaking. A young girl named Cady (played by the amazing Violet McGraw) is orphaned after her family gets in a horrible car accident and is sent to live with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Willams). It just so happens that Gemma works for a popular toy company that is developing a Artificial Intelligence doll named M3gan. So who better to test her out than Cady herself?

When M3gan starts to learn, as she is programmed to do, she becomes too smart for her own good and will soon stop at nothing to achieve her primary objective — keep Cady safe, no matter the cost.

Scary…But Not TOO Scary

M3gan might be classified as a horror film, but it is rated PG-13 and it never crosses that line. While the doll is certainly creepy, she also delivers a lot of humorous moments. There are times where she randomly starts singing and/or dancing that will have viewers nervously laughing as they sit on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what happens next. 

The movie doesn’t waste much time before Cady’s parents are killed, but it does take a tad too long in the set up of M3gan. When it comes to the horror genre, most viewers just can’t wait for the first kill and it takes about half the movie to get there. There are hints of M3gan changing her ways as she starts to talk back early on, but it still takes too long until we get the first violent outburst. 

But once it starts, it just doesn’t stop. They come flying at you and boy are they a whole lot of fun to watch. M3gan never pushes the envelope too far though, allowing the film to sit comfortably in that PG-13 rating. There isn’t a ton of blood even when there are murders. The scariest part of it all is the attitude of the doll, and the realization that gee, maybe this could actually happen.

A Lesson About Relying On Devices

The overall message of the movie is a simple one, us humans rely way too much on our devices. Not just for ourselves, but to help to parent our children as well. There are many discussions about screen time throughout the film, as well as talks about not being present as a parent. This is something that is very true to the world today, which makes it so much more intense and scary.

That, coupled with the fact that technology is advancing every day, and an AI doll like M3gan doesn’t feel totally out of the question. Although after watching this film, we can’t imagine anyone lining up to buy one.

Not so subtle messages about relying too much on electronic devices — especially when parenting — adds to the humor and fun of the film.

Overall Thoughts: Move Over Chucky!

Chucky is terrifying, don’t get us wrong, but there is something about M3gan that takes her to a whole new level. She is methodical and down right scary at times — but it is always for what she thinks is a good cause and that is something that doesn’t happen everyday. This movie is a wild and fun ride, with a great blend of humor and horror.

It doesn’t ever cross a line, which allows the young teen crowd to get in on the fun too. There isn’t a lot of blood, which is a positive for the younger kids, but maybe a bit of a negative for the older audience. It doesn’t take too long to get the ball rolling, opening up with a shocking scene, but then it dips a little bit as we wait for M3gan to show us what she is really made of.

Violet McGraw is a rock star in this film. She is pure perfection and has great chemistry with the onset version of M3gan, Amie Donald. The two together deliver some truly bone chilling scenes. Theatergoers will be cheering her on from their seats as they near the end of the film. That girl is going places, so keep an eye on her.

M3gan is an absolute blast. This doll is a new horror icon, there is no doubting that. Viewers will leave theaters wanting more of her, and fingers crossed we get it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

NEXT: The Menu Review

About M3gan

From the most prolific minds in horror—James Wan, the filmmaker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, and Blumhouse, the producer of the Halloween films, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man—comes a fresh new face in terror.

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to.

When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems—a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

Produced by Jason Blum and James Wan, M3GAN is directed by award-winning filmmaker Gerard Johnstone (Housebound), from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant, The Nun 2) based on a story by Akela Cooper and James Wan.

M3gan comes to theaters on January 6, 2023.