Isn’t it grand to go to the movies for a movie that was marketed to have your expectations high and have those expectations be met? M3GAN hit the internet like wildfire last year when the trailer dropped featuring the titular robot dancing in a hallway. Since then, excitement for the movie has only grown in fervor and it even made my top 50 most anticipated movies of the year. I’m happy to report that the movie is a very enjoyable film and a great kick off to the 2023 movie year.
The plot of M3GAN centers around Gemma, a roboticist at a toy company who is working on a prototype for a robot M3GAN. When her sister and brother in law are killed, she’s tasked with taking care of her niece Cady. Seeing an opportunity, she decides to put M3GAN online, despite not going through all the correct protocols. Unfortunately for her (but not for us), M3GAN begins to take her prime directive seriously and wants to make sure that nothing harms Cady again.
There aren’t many complaints to have about a movie that sets out and does exactly what it wants to. Though the filmmakers manage to work very effectively around the PG-13, there is still some restraint shown in certain aspects of the film, particularly in Alison Williams performance. Of everyone in the movie, she feels the most restrained and pulled back and as such doesn’t get to inhabit the character she’s been cast in so much as play her straight. That works well cause there’s so much craziness going on but it sort of puts her in a weird middle ground performance wise.
However, there’s just so much fun built into this movie that some parts that feel dull or restrained fade to the background. M3GAN is crowd pleasing entertainment at its finest. The scares are effective but the filmmakers and cast know that it’s the foolishness we’re here for. Akela Cooper is completely demented as a writer, and I will look forward to whatever she’s got coming up next. Whether it’s the witty comebacks or the completely unnecessary, yet amazing dance in the hallway, M3GAN’s antics know no bounds and routine provide the movie its highest highs. She might be a menace, but damn was she a delight to watch.