Movie Review: 'M3gan' Unsettling; Embodies unhinged gleefulness of '80s Horror
Moving Pictures By Mo Burford
Aunt Gemma is designing a lifelike doll named M3gan at work and decides it could be a friend for her niece, Cady, who has recently suffered the loss of her parents. What could go wrong?
M3gan (2022) Gerard Johnstone
Happy New Year, dear readers! We are back with a review of the latest horror film, M3gan, by director Gerard Johnstone. What many of you may not know about me from reading my column, given my demonstrated reverence for high-falutin art films, is that I am also a big fan of horror movies. In particular, I have a great fondness for Chucky and the Child’s Play series, so I was very excited for the release of M3gan, which did not disappoint.
M3gan’s plot revolves around the eponymous doll (played by Amie Donald, and voiced by Jenna Davis), who is designed by Gemma (Allison Williams) to be a friend for her niece, Cady, (Violet McGraw) now living with Gemma after her parents pass away in an accident.
Following classic horror conventions, things go sideways with M3gan and violence ensues. However, where Chucky terrorizes its protagonist and keeps its sentience hidden as long as possible, M3gan inverts this dynamic—she is sentient from the beginning, and much of the early violence actually stems from her trying to “protect” Cady.
The movement and design of M3gan herself is outstanding: the locomotion is a perfect balance of fluid and inhuman, which creates an uncanny and unsettling feeling in almost every frame in which M3gan is on screen. While the human performances are a little wooden, the film manages to maintain its momentum regardless. The movie even lands some jokes, and pulls off some light social satire.
At its best, M3gan embodies the unhinged gleefulness of 80’s horror movies like Child’s Play, while keeping it fresh by inverting old tropes and subtly infusing the movie with a critique of our dependence on technology for our emotional needs. And while, for me, there could have been a little more gore, to its credit the movie actually manages to still create thrills while maintaining a PG-13 rating. As a result, this is a horror movie for the whole family, even for the Scaredy Cats (and that’s coming from a reformed Scaredy Cat myself).
M3gan (2022)
★★★1/2
(three and a half stars)
M3gan is now playing at Columbia Cinema and Hood River Cinema.
Questions, comments, or movie suggestions? Email Mo at movingpicturesccc@gmail.com
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