M3GAN Review
I mean, hey, I had a fun time if nothing else. Much like Studio 666 this movie is more ambitious, and even self-aware, than the average horror movie and seems to go as far as possible with its premise. In fact I saw this movie as a double feature after Brightburn, mainly because in terms of genre-bending horror inspired in classic roots, be it evil children or possesed dolls, they're practically spiritual follow-ups (though, without spoiling, one particular scene might suggest a bit more if you see both like I did). Perhaps elaborating on what works about the film would make better sense before anything else. For one the movie makes sure that, even as it juggles two to three genres at once, the relationship between Gemma and her niece Cady, is the main angle.
Yeah, it gets melodramatic until becoming a malfunctioning rollercoaster at some point, but the movie at least wants to establish enough common ground for character development. When it enters Science Fiction territory it hits enough marks to work even if it gets a bit tricky in between juggling comedy, and even hard sci-fi, though the latters are as much fixed as modified once we're introduced to M3GAN. I'm not entirely sure how anyone felt about the character, but I will give credit for having her be the Ghostface to The Banana Splits' Michael Myers (or any other mute horror villain). And, much like Brightburn, once the horror kicks in it makes sure it either doesn't cater to just one type or does it in a way that fits within its Terminator/I Robot DNA (which may as well be a subgenre if zombies and groundhog day films have qualified). Meaning that even though we may see the ending coming it does it in a way that amplifies the array of limitlessness which the titular character displays the same way Nightmare on Elm Street went all out with its dream logic.
And those were the more inspired elements of the film. The nitpicks are sparing but they did nearly make the ride bumpy. to keep it short (and lenient) if not at the cost of adapting Mr. Garland's mindset circa the same year when M3GAN came out, let's just say that it felt like a feature length version of Casper Kelly's "Too Many Cooks" at its worst. Otherwise, it's like I said, there was too much thought and ambition to really dislike this movie by much. It could have even worked as a scifi/comedy/thriller on its own, but knowing that James Wan wrote it shows he would've directed it if the story alone was within his (directorial) grasp. Plus, like I said, it's almost as though there's a planned battle with as much substance as style, all throughout, that makes it all the more entertaining.