M3gan
I’m still not a huge fan of horror films, though they have grown on me over the past year, but I was still going into M3gan with somewhat low expectations.
However, I will say that my fears were unfounded. While M3gan was no masterpiece, it kept me entertained for its 100 minute runtime and even turned out to be better written than a lot of the films of this genre. M3gan’s main success is that it takes the time to properly develop the characters and story, so that the audience is at least somewhat emotionally invested in the outcome. If you’re hoping for an hour-long rampage by a main villain (like you would see in some slasher films), you may be disappointed, but I appreciated seeing the characters properly developed. And, while the themes of the film are somewhat predictable given that it’s about AI, it still gave the movie more purpose than just trying to scare its audience.
The film’s other big strength is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but knows when to be serious. The movie’s self-aware that its premise is somewhat silly and it features a lot of dark humor, but it’s not using that humor to undercut the serious moments. When there’s emotional scenes between the main characters, or M3gan is menacing some of the more important characters, the movie doesn’t spoil that tension by throwing in unnecessary humor. On a more minor note, the film also gets bonus points for being willing to kill characters that normally wouldn’t die in a horror film (or any film for that matter). I won’t get more specific than that, but there are types of characters that movies are generally afraid to kill off for fear of upsetting audiences, but M3gan didn’t hold back in that regard.
Now, for 2023 I’ve decided to do things a little differently with my blog. I’ll be writing shorter reviews for movies released during the year (and maybe some longer reviews for movies I’ve had a chance to rewatch multiple times if I have the time), but instead of just concluding with a watch/don’t watch recommendation, I’m going to conclude by scoring the movies in a group of different categories (like a rubric) and then adding them up to get a percentage score at the end. That way, I can show the process behind why I give it so many stars, instead of just assigning a number at the end of the review. I’m going to use eight categories, each one getting ten points, but doubling the points for the first two (because I think they’re more important).
Characters: 7/10 (x2)
Like I said, the film spends time developing the characters and that makes us care about them, rather than just having them be expendable cannon fodder. While none of them would be essential to a sequel if M3gan gets one, they do a good job of making this film enjoyable.
Plot: 6.5/10 (x2)
Like I said, I like the plot, but I do think that some of the themes the film explores are kind of predictable. It’s well handled and the story beats are mostly decent, but this isn’t a film with a super deep plot.
Action: 7/10
While there’s not as much killing or action in this film as some horror films, the movie does a really good job of handling tension and, most importantly, the action scenes hold up because M3gan doesn’t seem to have plot armor making her completely invincible; she’s obviously a threat, but the heroes are given a legitimate chance of fighting back and even injuring her.
Tone: 7/10
It would’ve been impossible to make a film about a killer doll feel completely serious, so this movie knows not to take itself too seriously. There’s a good amount of dark humor in the film, but not so much that it started to make the film feel less real.
Pacing: 6/10
Initially, I felt that the movie was taking too long to get going and introduce M3gan (the trailers made it look like M3gan would appear almost instantly). However, as the movie wore on, I realized that a somewhat slow start went a long way in helping the characters be developed.
Dialogue: 7/10
The film definitely has some good lines throughout and there are even a couple of dialogue scenes where they let the characters get emotional and that works surprisingly well. I don’t think there’s going to be M3gan quotes circulating the internet for the next five years, but the script feels well-written enough.
Creativity: 7/10
Killer dolls aren’t anything new, but this movie combined that with classic AI stories and introduced the grief-based storyline and those three things combined work well. It makes the film feel, if not totally original, at least not derivative.
Visuals/Design: 8/10
The design for M3gan is another of the film’s strength, as the film makes her look both gentle and innocent, but also creepy and unsettling. Both of those elements were important to M3gan working as a character, and thankfully this movie delivered.
Final Score: 69
I had a lot of fun watching M3gan and, while it’s not a great film, I think it’s one that most people will be able to enjoy, even if they’re not hardcore horror fans, as it skates away from some of that genre’s worst cliches. While I would recommend it, it’s not a film that you can’t wait until it’s on streaming until you watch it (unless you’re as desperate for something to watch as I am).
Final Recommendation: Watch
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