MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Sci-Fi Horror/Stars: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Stephane Garneau-Monten, Arlo Green, Lori Dungey; Voice of: Jenna Davis/Runtime: 102 minutes

If there is one thing that you should know about me dear reader, it’s that after all the years I have done this and all the movies I have seen, it is not that often that I find myself positively surprised. As a result, whenever it does happen it makes for a nice change of pace. Suffice it to say that I’m no expert, but I would definitely consider the fact that the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, the new horror-comedy M3GHAN, to be an example of such a positive surprise in action. I say that because for being both the first movie right out of the gate and in wide release this year it actually is pretty dang good. The reason this is so surprising, dear reader is because typically and by and large slices of cinema released in January usually find themselves falling into one of two distinct categories. Those categories being either expanded releases of movies that came out in December that the studios are pushing as their award contenders or as movies that the studios all know are absolutely terrible, but are released anyway so they can hopefully make a quick buck during a slow month for movies respectively. Yet this slice of cinema isn’t either of those. Rather, it is an engaging, well-known, and delightfully mindful stab on the killer toy subgenre of horror cinema. Indeed this Westworld/Child’s Play hybrid may take on a run of the mill plot as well as thematic concepts, but it also engages in these in a manner that is incredibly well-done. On top of that, the manner that this slice of cinema chooses to handle these elements, is a wonderful mix of both insightful and delightfully absurd. As a result, every single person working on this movie, be they cast or crew, is very much aware of the movie they are making and it is clear that all of them are having an absolute blast while doing so. As a result, yes this slice of cinema is restrained courtesy of it being slapped with a PG-13 rating, but otherwise this is one genuinely fun and phenomenally made horror-comedy that I can see making all of you horror movie lovers out there quite pleased.

The plot is as follows: Taking us into a world very much like our own except perhaps a few years into the future in some ways, this slice of cinema gets underway by showcasing for us a commercial for a toy company by the name of Funki for one of their latest products. A product incidentally that takes the shape and form of a next generation (yet no less creepy) quasi-sorta Furby doll that can provide your child with an Internet connection whilst also talking with them relentlessly, excelling at poop jokes, and even rocking a nice set of chompers in their mouth. In other words: just the sort of thing every child clearly is going to want for Christmas next year. We soon see that, among the numerous children who actually own this abomination, there is one by the name of Cady who is more worthy of note than the others. This is because it was while she was fiddling around with this particular “toy” (I use that word very loosely) that we see Cady’s life inadvertently be spared in a tragic car accident that resulted in the deaths of both of her parents (and hopefully Toothy Furby). At any rate, we soon see that Cady finds herself placed in the custody of her Aunt Gemma. A woman who, among other attributes including the fact that she herself works at Funki, is also in no way, shape, form, or fashion cut out for the whole parenting thing. Thankfully, we soon see that isn’t as big of a hurdle as it might be otherwise because Gemma and her colleagues have been working on something fairly special. That being the Model 3 Generative Android or M3GAN for short. Suffice it to say that it should come as no surprise to learn that Cady is hooked right from the word go and when she tells her aunt that if she could have a toy like M3GAN she would never need another toy again (and for no less a price than 10 grand I would definitely hope so), we see that Gemma arranges it so that her niece can become the first user of this new product. Of course, we see that initially this union seems to work out splendidly as M3GAN showcases herself of being more than just a fantastic friend, but also a wonderful instructor, a phenomenal protector, and even a surrogate parent who can help make Gemma’s life a bit easier. Sounds too good to be true right? Well of course! You see dear reader out of everything that the design team planned on when it came to this doll, they did overlook one particular question that perhaps they shouldn’t have. That of course being what would happen if the doll not only developed a heightened sense of self-awareness, but like a lot of parents developed an overprotectiveness for its charge? Suffice it to say that by the time this film is done you will have an answer…..

Now right off the bat it should be said that in the aftermath of 2022 proving to be a truly glorious year for the realm of horror cinema, the fact that this slice of cinema is the first horror film for the year 2023 let alone the first film widely released in 2023 period is a good leaping off point for this genre in the year ahead. No I cannot say for 110% that this cinematic outing is one that will either scare the heck out of the average movie viewer let alone those of you out there who, thanks to Chucky and Annabelle or just unresolved trauma, have an already established fear of spooky dolls, but this slice of cinema nevertheless is able to locate moments that permit it to be downright chilling in the best way possible. Yes I have no doubt in my mind that you all can put two and five together and figure out that eventually the titular entity will at some point transition into a killer robot and no there aren’t any jaw-dropping twists that are hurtled our way, but nevertheless this film is able to send a chill down your spine as you make your way through the film. Yet this chill is quite distinct in that it doesn’t get you ready to scream your lungs out, but instead might inspire you to anxiously laugh or even flash a smile. Yet lest you worry that this is one horror-comedy film more laughs than scares trust me when I say that is not the case. Rather, it balances both out fairly well whilst also giving room for the film to get legitimately terrifying when it needs to which then gives us some truly iconic moments like M3GAN responding in kind to a bully who is giving Cady grief. Along with that, it should also be noted that there are some truly fantastic filmmaking skills utilized here in order to bring this film’s titular character to life. Indeed, in the world of this slice of cinema’s narrative, M3GAN is a technological breakthrough who is worth over 10,000 dollars (before tax mind you) and thankfully we see that how this film brings her to life is worth that and so much more. Indeed, the design work here is fantastic as we see that M3GAN’s refined exterior (although those eyes could look into your soul if you let them) is wonderfully dichotomized with how unnerving her actions are and the skill utilized by puppeteers, phenomenal visual effects team, and a skilled costume-wearing performer all join forces on this and together make this android give off the vibe of being both a toy and also alive. Suffice it to say that don’t be surprised if you find yourself unable to tell from beginning to end just where one department’s magic act ends and another’s begins. Now even though this slice of cinema does make its way through its beginning and middle quite well, it does run into a bit of a stumbling block at the end when everything starts coming together. This is because you are primed and ready to see this doll make the transition to a full-blown villain….only for the movie to restrain her (?) from doing so. A problem that, if I’m being honest, I blame on the fact that this slice of cinema is saddled with a PG-13 rating. I mean yes there is a rise in how outlandish M3GAN gets, but for this film to work as thoroughly its premise suggests, then it needed to have a resolution that is as out there and visceral as possible. That’s not to say that this slice of cinema is terrible; far from it. Rather, I just feel that it’s simply not as good as it could have been because the movie was more concerned with getting the teen demographic into seats rather than giving audiences a resolution that fits everything that came before it.

Of course, as fun as the team behind the camera seems to be having on bringing this slice of cinema vividly to life, I think the cast in front of the camera seems to be just as much in on the joke because they all manage to do fairly good work in their respective performances. This starts with Allison Williams who, between her work in this plus Get Out and The Perfection in 2017 and 2018 respectively has managed to pull off quite the cinematic hat trick in terms of performances in ominously creepy/darkly comic horror cinema. Indeed, as Gemma, Williams does a wonderful job of not only playing this clearly brilliant and ambitious career woman who is desperately doing everything she can to be as successful as she possibly can in her respective industry, but also both the parental side of her that she finds herself having to develop when her niece is all but dropped on her door step as well as the concerned side when the prototype murder toy android she helped to create starts acting a bit on the weirdly potentially creepy and quite likely homicidal side respectively. Indeed I know that there are some performers who are so fantastic in a given genre that you can’t wait to see what they do in that genre next, but I think we can now add the name of Allison Williams to the section of that list that falls under horror cinema. I also think praise should be given here to the young actress Violet McGraw who, as Gemma’s niece Cady, does a really good job in the role. Yes, there are times where young performers in horror cinema can be either a bit one-note at best or just plain annoying at worst. Even with that in mind though, there is no denying that McGraw does great at playing this young girl who is very much withdrawn and lonely following the death of her parents who she loved more than anything, but who, through M3GAN, finds herself coming out of her shell and living life again only to find her happiness turn into terror as her new-found technological friend starts to lean into homicidal tendencies in order to ensure that nothing bad happens to her. Finally, I also think praise should be given to the one performer who you only hear rather than both see and hear. That being Jenna Davis as the voice of the titular android. Indeed Davis does a terrifically terrifying job at making M3GHAN seem initially nice and sweet, especially in regards to her relationship with Cady, but as she becomes more self-aware and murderous starts to develop a spot-on cold and jagged edge to her tone that excels at both sending a chill down your spine and/or making you go “Oh Snap!” like you are hearing someone utter the perfect retort to a person accusing them of cheating on an episode of Jerry Springer. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in good work in terms of front of the camera work from such talent like Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, and Jen Van Epps among others this is one slice of cinema that in terms of performances is actually fairly well done.

All in all I cannot lie to you dear reader: from the moment that the titular doll danced, did flips, and even twerked toward what looked to be one of her intended victims in this slice of cinema’s trailer, it was quite obvious to me that we as movie goers were about to see something new and quite special in the realm of campy horror cinema. How thankful I am then to tell you that this guess of mine was more on-spot on than even I could have begun to imagine. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that manages to scoop up the delightfully insane, and just no holds barred lunacy that was very much present in producer James Wan’s own entry in this distinct subgenre, the underrated 2021 slice of cinema Malignant, and just bolts off with it. Yet whereas Malignant made it quite confusing at times when we were supposed to be laughing and when we were supposed to be gripping the edge of our seats in icy terror, I can assure you that is most certainly not an issue to be found with this slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination. More than that though, this slice of cinema also comes equipped with a pair of distinct ingredients. Namely a fair bit of surprisingly analysis to provide us with dealing in how parental figures are bringing children up in the world nowadays to say nothing of those kids and their distinct ties to technology whilst also proving to be a fun new little entry in the collection of homicidal toy movies a ’la Child’s Play and even Puppet Master to an extent respectively. Suffice it to say that with a fairly insidiously sneaky narrative and well-penned pointed dialogue getting to partner up with phenomenal effects work that help bring this movie’s title character vividly to life, I think it can be said with confidence that not only is this film firmly aware of what kind of movie it is aiming to be, but that people should find themselves fairly satisfied by the end product.  Yes, there is a decent size stumbling block to be found due to this film being saddled with a PG-13 rating, but overall, this issue is not bad enough to take away from the smiles that are sure to be on fans of horror-comedies by the end of this. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give M3GAN “2023” a solid 3.5 out of 5.