I hate it when movies that are meant to be a horror slasher or fantastic horror are toned down to PG-13 or the potential of the movie isn't explored. My colleagues at work gushed about "M3gan (2022)" and recommended I watch it as soon as possible. It took time to decide whether to watch it or not and the recent tension at work just further made me reluctant to watch it.
So finally, I watched it and "M3gan" didn't give me what I expected but gave me some laugh-out moments and it was enjoyable. I wouldn't say it was a fantastic movie but I can say that it's watchable and will be forgotten by me in a few days. The trailer of this movie was deceiving to me. When I saw the trailer, I was impressed and it raised my expectations for the movie, but in the end, I was kind of disappointed because I expected more.
"M3gan" is a toned-down American science fiction horror film that was directed by Gerard Johnstone and was released in December, last year with Universal Pictures as its distributor. This movie was inspired by a story written by Akela Cooper who also wrote the screenplay. "M3gan" starred Allison Williams, Ronny Chieng, Violet McGraw, Jen Brown, and Amie Donald (M3gan). This movie revolves around an artificial intelligence that was paired with a little girl who recently lost her parents, but then developed self-awareness and forms a toxic bond with her human.
A Little About The Plot.
The movie started with a commercial from an esteemed toy-making enterprise, Funki. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to Cady, an eight-year-old girl, who was going on a trip on a snow-ridden road with her parents. An accident happened and she lost both of her parents leaving her alone and in grief. So Cady was sent to live with her Aunt Gemma who is a roboticist at the high-tech Seattle toy company Funki. Cady wasn't that happy to live with her Aunt as she was finding it difficult to adjust to her current life.
On the other hand, Gemma was having difficulty transitioning from a single lady to a guardian/parent. Her work as a roboticist made it more difficult as she has just developed a humanoid robot doll that is powered by artificial intelligence to be the ultimate companion for kids. Gemma developed this humanoid robot secretly using the funds of Funki company but was later discovered by her boss and she was asked to shut the M3gan project after a disappointing test run.
With all that happened at work, Gemma was still struggling to connect with Cady but she was always not getting any progress. On a fateful night, Gemma was working at home when Cady came to see what she was and then discovered a robot that Gemma built when she was in college. Seeing how Cady played and became excited with the robot, Gemma got the idea of working on M3gan again to pair it up with her niece by installing a learning model device to it. The pairing was successful and Cady began to form a bond with M3gan as she slowly came out of her grieving state.
My Review And Rating.
Negatives
Like I said, earlier I wasn't too impressed with this movie that a lot of people gushed about and I will tell you why.
The first problem I have with this movie is that it shouldn't have been toned down to PG-13, I mean why should kids be watching horror in the first place? Hollywood has succeeded in crossing a very thin line that protects what our children watch these days by feeding them things that are not meant to be consumed by children. In my opinion, I wouldn't recommend that any children below the age of 17 or 18 should watch M3gan but the actual targeted audience of this movie are children which are not supposed to be. If they hadn't toned this movie down to PG-13, it would have been a blockbuster and a movie people will keep talking about for years.
Another problem I have with this movie is that it is restricted and limited which became a mediocre horror for me. The said genre wasn't explored to the fullest in the movie. The kills were not captured but left to the audience to imagine if they wanted to. The stunt at the ending part was like a joke and it was unrealistic which made it all seem stupid and dumb.
Also, the script was badly written and all the characters in the movie were built thinly and without solid or accurate backgrounds. Some of the actors' performance was not felt throughout the film that I easily forget their roles in the movie. The only characters that kept me hooked were M3gan and Cady. At one point, Gemma's role was beginning to be irrelevant and irritating to the whole plot. Why I felt this about her was that her role was unrealistic. How can one create an AI and leave it in charge of your niece? I didn't get the whole thing. Gemma prioritized her robotic creation over her own flesh and blood. Also, the plot was 100% predictable, there was no twists/mystery to further intensify the suspense or tension.
Something about this movie didn't sit well with me which is the messages that were it portrayed. It portrayed that it's okay for children to misbehave and still get pampered. This was conveyed in a scene where Cady slapped Gemma, her Aunt. Now for kids to watch that, they will think that it is the right way to behave or react with people which shouldn't be and that is the reason why the new generations coming up mostly behave like brats.
Positives
With all the negatives I mentioned above, I still find some things I am happy about in this movie. Firstly, the visual effects were fantastic, it was well shot, and well edited. The scene arrangements were good hence why it was watchable. Also, I love how humor was incorporated into the script which brought out the comedy sensation. Again, there was a scene that was a bit unsettling for me because of the environment (forest) where it was shot.
Rating this movie I will give it 3 out of 5 stars and even though it's rated PG-13, I wouldn't recommend it for teenagers or kids. The best audience is adults and horror flick lovers. There is going to be a sequel as it has been announced and is set to be released in January 2025. Let's all hope M3gan 2.0 (2025) will impress us.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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