M3GAN

M3gan the robotic doll

M3GAN (2023). Director: Gerard Johnstone.

After young Cady (Violet McGraw) loses her parents in a car accident, she comes to live with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams). Gemma is a near-genius who comes up with ideas for expensive new toys, and her latest idea is M3gan (Amie Donald), which stands for Model 3 Generative Android. Gemma brings the life-size "doll" home to bond with Cady and see if there are any flaws before putting it to market, even as her boss David (Ronny Chieng) excitedly prepares for a massive launch. M3gan is far more than a mere doll, as she can think and reason and carry on real conversations, as well as move about whenever and wherever she wants to. A boy's death at a camp attended by both Cady and M3gan creates some suspicions in Gemma, and then her annoying neighbor is also found dead. Is M3gan taking her job to protect Cady a little too seriously?

McGraw, Donald, Williams

M3gan, possibly an attempt to create another horror franchise along the lines of Chucky, is basically an entertaining moron movie and nothing more. (It is also a bit reminiscent of Deadly Friend.) The acting is good, the pace fairly swift, and the violence -- including a nasty boy having his ear torn off and some sword slayings -- comes in just when you expect it to. Despite some interesting notions as regards the android, and even a discussion of the moral ramifications of same, the film has a familiar feel to it. You may think you've seen it all before and you basically have. 

Verdict: Fun enough for the undiscriminating, but it doesn't really resonate. **1/2.