Daniel’s review published on Letterboxd:
When all seemed lost in the world. There was one hero that emerged. Not the one we deserved but the one we needed. She came to dance, to be fabulous and not to fuck around. Enter a new killer doll into the arena.
She's the dancing queen of the new age. That has felt like the case long before release too. We all remember when the first trailer emerged out of nowhere. It didn't look great to me but this was an overnight sensation.
Fast forward to release and people are loving this. It had me nervous still. Like for most films it seems. Not much more than for those coming out at this time of year. It is the dumping ground and gives me little to no hope.
We have seen a few decent releases around now more in recent times. This wasn't all doom and gloom. And this did seem like the perfect type of film that you would see come out in January. It kind of is that as well.
I did not love this but it is a decently fun time. Both for the fact that of the time it is coming out as mentioned but even more so for the PG-13 rating. It was a little off putting but they somehow make it work mostly.
One thing to appreciate is from the opening seconds to the very end: this film could not have been more self aware. It knew how ridiculous this both looked and seemed; but they played into that very impressively too.
Saving grace of this is the self aware campiness. Not that it mostly lands. At least for me it doesn't. But if it were to have tried to take this seriously. Don't see anyone having nearly as much fun; so that is enjoyable to see.
There is still the frustration that this is restricted with the rating. If it were to have taken a similar approach to what's seen with the Chucky series. Part of me would have been so much more entertained but it fell short.
Not only that but it takes awhile for anything horrific to actually happen. Most of the violence is off screen too but there are clever things done to try and satisfy the thirst for many fans of the genre. Even if not working.
Most of the humour is hit or miss. It felt written by an AI Generator. So much of this was trying to keep up with the current trends. It was a little too cringe for my taste; but some of it will likely put a smile on your face.
It is nice to see Allison Williams in a film again. She hasn't been in much besides television since Get Out. Even though I couldn't really buy her in this role. She still did her best before getting overshadowed by M3GAN.
Elizabeth Olsen's casting as M3GAN was a bold idea by the casting team. Not against the idea because she crushed it. If only we could see her like this in more of her films. And yes I am aware it isn't her but it could be.
When it comes to this: It is forgettable. There will be moments to enjoy. Most of this will live on through the online explosion it has made. If not for all the mentions. Don't see this lasting long. But I could be wrong.
I'm still excited to see more. The world needs a new campy killer heroine.
