Maternal instincts – engage!
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Written by: Akela Cooper, James Wan
Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald
Swift shot: Not since D.A.R.Y.L. have I rooted for a robot kid this hard! Look, she’s just trying to make us all better people, and so be it if that means culling the herd. I can’t imagine where she’d pick up an idea like that, can you?
Allison Williams plays Gemma, a robot-making genius who pushes herself to create the perfect companion, the perfect toy. It’s not really clear if she makes toys because she likes them, or if working at the state-of-the-art toy company Funki is just a means to an end. Sadly, her character isn’t developed all that much, and there are some golden opportunities that were missed in the script. But, we can discuss those in the comments section to avoid spoilers.
As fate intervenes, Gemma suddenly finds herself responsible for the life, care, and guidance of her niece, Cady (McGraw). Cady has just lost both her parents, and she suddenly finds herself living with her aunt Gemma, a single woman who has no idea how to be a parent. Enter, M3GAN, played by Amie Donald & voiced by Jenna Davis.
M3GAN is just a robot, but she quickly forms a bond with Cady that starts to get creepy and even the mostly aloof Gemma has to finally face the music and deal with M3GAN. I mean, let’s not kid ourselves here, we all know what is going to happen with this story: A.I. Robot comes to life, gets overprotective of her charge, and decides to kill to save her. But, if that were all M3GAN had to offer as a film, it wouldn’t leave much of a mark.
Is this character iconic?
Well, the first time you lay human eyes on M3GAN, she’s striking and disturbing. And her introduction sets the tone for the movie, it’s a horror, but with just a bit of campy dark comedy. There is a pretty good balance, overall. And it’s why I was actually rooting for M3GAN most of the movie. She’s lethally likable and the work collectively done by a whole team of people to bring her to life does an incredible job making her feel very real . . . and yet uncannily, not. She’s not real, she can’t hurt you, right?
The true sustainability of the film is that it asks questions about what it means to be a modern parent. And it was a nice touch using a guardian rather than a maternal or fraternal parent to make it obvious. Granted, the situation does get a bit too specific at times, considering M3GAN is supposed to be a toy (or surrogate) for all kids – not just Cady.
As the story moves along, things escalate, and there is a ticking time element with Gemma’s arrogant boss, David (Ronny Chieng) demanding results to launch the new M3GAN – Model 3 Generative Android line of “toys” to the market. And this forces Gemma to put Cady in situations she knows are bad for the girl. Not a good parental choice, and you can bet your ass that M3GAN knows that too.
As M3GAN gets more self-aware, she also starts to take control, and all Hell invariably breaks loose in a great climactic battle to win the love of Cady.
I haven’t watched the new Chucky movie, because as I have said a thousand times, they need to stop remaking good movies and remake movies that needed improvement. So, I can’t compare this film to the new Child’s Play. But I can tell you that once the credits rolled, I was already thinking up some great sequel stories for M3GAN, who I hope to see on screen again!
There’s not much new in the “dangerous A.I.” trope to come out of M3GAN, but the film is really entertaining and engaging. The effects are seamless, although at times you can tell when a human actor was used and not a puppet. But, it beats having everything be CGI garbage, and there are at least a few scenes coming out of this film that will have you talking on the ride home.
End of the day, I really enjoyed M3GAN, but I felt we barely scratched the silicone surface of what her character could be. Either way, I think she deserves to be called iconic, and I look forward to a sequel.
