The film begins with eight-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) being sent to live with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) after she’s orphaned in a car crash. Gemma, a brilliant roboticist who works for a Seattle company that makes Furby-like gadgets called Purr-fect Pets, isn’t exactly a natural parent: when Cady arrives at her house, she scolds her for touching a toy that’s supposed to be “a collectible”. However, she thinks she has the perfect companion for her grieving niece: “M3GAN”, short for Model 3 Generative Android, the fully formed prototype for a lifelike A.I. doll that Gemma believes will revolutionise the market.
Because M3GAN is programmed to “pair” with Cady, their bond becomes almost symbiotic as they spend more time together. In the process, M3GAN becomes protective of the little girl to the exclusion of everything else: when the next-door neighbour’s dog bites Cady, his days are numbered. It would be a shame to reveal any more, but it’s surely no spoiler to say that M3GAN’s behaviour becomes increasingly deranged as she becomes ever more laser-focused on Cady’s safety. Portrayed by actress Amie Donald beneath eerily impressive prosthetics, the doll is elegant and unsettling in equal measure.
Director Johnstone, who previously made the low-budget New Zealand horror flick Housebound, deftly blends the comedy, scares and human drama in a smart script by Malignant screenwriter Akela Cooper. M3GAN is often gory and campy in the same scene, but it never winks cynically at its audience, even when the doll breaks into song or busts out some ludicrous dance moves. It helps that Williams, who’s also an executive producer, gives a grounded performance as a woman who’s both well-meaning and selfish, at least to begin with. M3GAN has clearly been crafted with a future franchise in mind, but it’s hard to be mad it when the character has such potential. Plus, as much fun as this film is, there’s still room for improvement second time out, when fans will probably want the killer doll to lose her shit more quickly. But for now, to borrow a bit of internet speak, M3GAN is an icon, she’s a legend, and she is the moment.
Global investors are eyeing European and emerging market assets to protect themselves from further turbulence…
U.S. central bank officials will conclude their latest two-day policy meeting on Wednesday with a…
Asian stocks sank in holiday-thinned trade Wednesday, tracking a sharp sell-off on Wall Street after…
The Bank of Japan's decision to keep policy unchanged last week gave yen bears plenty…
Under the auspices of the Agriculture Department (Extension), Government of Punjab, the mega cotton seminar…
Gold price in the country surged by Rs7,100 per tola in April following a surge…
Leave a Comment