'M3GAN' Review: Yassified Doll Slays In Comedic Horror Flick

M3GAN is truly a doll.

Amie Donald & Violet McGraw in M3GAN. Cr. Courtesy of Universal.

Written by Malignant writer Akela Cooper, M3GAN follows nine-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) after the tragic loss of her parents as she moves in with her aunt, Gemma (Allison Williams). Gemma, the career-driven innovator, isn’t the motherly type and establishes moral motivations toward her reasoning for creating a friend for her niece. The opening sequences take us through the process of loss and how Cady has dealt with it as she makes a new friend, the Model 3 Generative ANdroid, aka M3GAN. The pair quickly form deep attachments and are always together, with M3GAN vowing to never let anything happen to Cady. This seems safe and happy, right? Nothing could ever go wrong and lead to unpredictable chaos, right?

Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, & Allison Williams in M3GAN. Cr. Courtesy of Universal.

While categorized as a horror film, M3GAN plays much better as a comedy, as seen in the film’s creative marketing plan. Though there are few times that the film truly attempts to lean into fear, those efforts feel forced, with predictable jump-scares and fearless tension. That said, when viewed as a comedy, the film is fantastic. Garnering collective laughs throughout, especially at the point where M3GAN sings “Titanium” by David Guetta, the overall absurdity is what works best.

The collective commitment to the campiness of M3GAN shines and works especially well, given the performances of the actors. Up-and-comer Violet McGraw, who is now no stranger to horror, does a fantastic job encapsulating the emotions of grief and displays the complexity and depth of a child undergoing these changes. To give credit to the editors, the combination of M3GAN’s physical appearance (Amie Donald) and voice (Jenna Davis) is generally seamless and works together nicely. This is tied together so well because M3GAN knows what it is and isn’t trying to be anything else. Allision Williams does a fantastic job of holding down the fort and attempting to bring slight realism to the hazardous cross-section where comedy and horror intertwine.

Amie Donald, & Ronnie Chieng in M3GAN. Cr. Courtesy of Universal.

The film’s pacing feels rushed at times, flying through the brief runtime, but honestly, it works. The story does feel very A-B-C, and the predictable elements fall into place, especially given the revealing approach toward trailers. The tone feels varied at certain points when the film attempts to lean into darker moments which ultimately play off comedically. However, this is made up for by the instantly iconic memeable moments and the overall sincerity and understanding of where it stands.

M3GAN doesn’t accomplish anything that we haven’t seen before and isn’t groundbreaking in any way, but it sure is one hell of a ride. The script is straight up and features no misdirection, as you know what you’re here for. M3GAN will inevitably evolve into a horror film with cult-classic status, and we’re here for it.

M3GAN is now playing in theaters.