Sleeper Awakened

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M3GAN (2022)

1/12/23 - M3GAN (2022) - 6-/10

Chucky meets AI, with some robo My Buddy/Good Son vibes. Smartly memed to capitalize on its net centrality and playful quirk, M3GAN is a creepy delight. It isn’t striving to be more than it is, choosing to revel in playing in its genre sandbox, which works for it well. 

M3gan dances quickly through the psychological trauma, the corporate drama, and the evolving villainous nature of mechanical mayhem let loose upon unsuspecting protagonists. It stabs horror with its uncanny valley oddity and ‘buddy turn butcher’ playful frolic in a quite watchable and satisfying manner. There are some questions that bubble up within the story, but the totality is tight and swiftly-moving enough to absorb the ride.

I liked that the orphaned daughter does not seem right and might be the cause of/ok with the evil. There is a constant hint of her psychological damage &/or inherent issues, which lets that damaged character & implications percolate. It’s a road that is allowed to be taken and keeps the audience on edge when she is involved.

I can’t put myself in some “M3GAN stan” category, but if you are looking for a devilish little horror escapade with some capitalistic & mechanical creep, you can do much worse.