I was able to avoid spoilers for M3GAN in the two weeks since its release. I also felt like the longer I waited to see it the more hype was built up for it. I was finally able to see M3GAN and it still surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to have as much heart as it did. This movie really solidified Akela Cooper as someone that I will keep an eye out for. I see her name from now on and my interest is already piqued in the project.
I didn’t know that she came up with the story alongside James Wan, that came as a surprise in the credits. If I’m being completely honest, I was expecting something as crazy as the police station sequence in Malignant, which didn’t happen sadly, but when it got weird it went for it. I think that’s what I like about both M3GAN and Malignant. I was a little surprised by how funny it was but then I remembered how funny Gerard Johnstone’s first movie was. Housebound shares a similar sense of humor with this movie.
Violet McGraw is so good in this movie. She’s such an amazing actor for being as young as she is. Her performance really anchors the movie. She has such an amazing chemistry with Allison Williams and they play off of each other so well. Amie Donald and Jenna Davis are great as M3GAN with Davis being the voice and Donald being the person portraying her whenever the puppet wasn’t able to be used. Donald’s physicality does a lot to make M3GAN as menacing as she is. The combination of puppet, Donald, and Davis create the wholly singular entity of M3GAN.
The puppet used for the titular character is something else. It combined with the visual effects throughout the movie makes everything as effective as it is. There’s not a lot of gore but what little there is is incredibly effective. All of the different effects are amazing. The set and costume designers made the movie have the right feel. The music in M3GAN is great. Between the score by Anthony Willis and the repurposed pop music, the music is used to great effect.
M3GAN is a funny sci-fi thriller that has a lot of heart is a fun watch. The way the story ends sets up the already announced sequel to happen in a couple of different ways. I look forward to seeing how the story continues from this ending. I believe that Akela Cooper is supposed to return as writer, which gives me high hopes for the sequel. If you haven’t seen M3GAN yet I recommend see it, whether in the theater or some other way. I give M3GAN 8 silicone faces out of 10.