Dan Abel’s review published on Letterboxd:
Katie is a young girl who becomes the sole survivor of the car wreck that claims her parents lives. Gemma creates code for a toy company, and is developing the ultimate toy in M3GAN, an android concept made to resemble a young girl who serves as a best friend to a paired child. Gemma also happens to be Katie's aunt and is granted custody of the child. The two have trouble bounding at first and the result is Katie completing the M3GAN android doll to help her niece cope and adjust. All is well until the doll's ever learning nature and it's protocol to protect her child from any and all harm turns deadly.
It would have been nice if I knew that M3GAN was streaming on Peacock sooner. I've been dying to see this, and fortunately it delivered.
A sizable chunk of Blumhouse horror films are PG-13 horror, and M3GAN is no exception, but they have a pretty solid track record of nailing the niche. It's not easy to make a killer doll conform to that rating while delivering a product that doesn't suck but Blumhouse did it again! Violet McGraw, the young actress who plays Katie, is one of the two McGraw sisters who are making their mark on film at an early age. She was excellent as usual but Amie Donald's portrayal of the killer android doll is just as good. The M3GAN doll looks and sounds fantastic both in CGI and live action, especially in badass mode.
M3GAN is a bit scary not because of it's kill count or gore, both of which are pretty minimal, but because the existence of a real life M3GAN is very much plausible in the future. Android assistants who pose as peers to their paired companion while also serving in a parental role unbeknownst to the child. With the inevitable emergence of artificial intelligence, don't be surprised if some parents buy into something like a M3GAN.
Maybe leaving that seed to ponder on was the intent of this film? Scary stuff. They could have really done more with the ending if they would have pursued the thief subplot. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Either way, they still left an open for a possible sequel, and considering it's box office success, it's production company, and the involvement of Jason Blum and James Wan, do not be surprised if a M3GAN 2 isn't already being written. I love those two guys but they really have a habit of milking every last dime out of a story. I would prefer this film to be a one and done, but I also know I'll be there to watch more when it comes. Good stuff!
*** Letterboxd user David K informed me in the comments section that Peacock is also streaming an unrated version of the film. It doesn't add much, and certainly not enough to increase my rating but the little it does add is pretty cool, especially with three kill scenes. If you don't want to re-watch the entire film, here's a link to where the few extras fit into the unrated version of the film. I just skipped to them. Enjoy!
