Jonah Naplan   January 6, 2023

Welcoooooooooome back to January everyone.

2023 begins with the most recent exercise in horror/comedy genre bending, with “M3GAN,” a movie especially designed for people who go to movies not to critique them, but to kick their feet up, eat some popcorn, and enjoy the experience of turning your brain off for two hours and letting a film wash over you, as you get thrilled senseless. Such a film can so often be described as dumb, and irreverent. “M3GAN” is both, and is sheepish about neither.

M3GAN—Model 3 Generative ANdroid—is a four-foot-tall, artificial intelligence “toy,” intended to be a child’s best friend, ultimately replacing the role of a parent. But there’s something very off about M3GAN—and not just because her almost-human appearance reminds us of the strangest uncanny valley photos on the internet. Nine-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) is taken in by her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) when her parents are killed by a snow plow in a vicious car accident, and somehow the young girl survives. Gemma means well, but really doesn’t have the time to care for this girl. She’s a busy inventor, working for Funki, a corrupt and desperate toy company. When a new company comes out with a rip-off version of their popular Purrpetual Pet toy, Gemma’s boss (Ronny Chieng) becomes distressed and, quite frankly, begs Gemma to make a new revolutionary invention.

Enter M3GAN. Gemma finds that Cady is extremely lonely and needs a new companion, so she builds such a thing that fits that description using a prototype shown earlier in the film. Not only can she use her M3GAN doll in a showcase for the next big Funki moneymaker, but it can also act as the friend that Cady needs during this dark time in her life. Soon, M3GAN and Cady become inseparable, as the doll carries out all of the useful tasks she was designed to accomplish. M3GAN reminds Cady to flush the toilet, to put her cups on a coaster, and even reads her stories before bed. Cady is happy, Gemma is happy. But a therapist warns of the dangers this new doll could create with Gemma and Cady’s relationship. But no matter, of course.

Gemma’s boss rushes through the beta testing of this new invention, using Cady as the test subject for a group of colleagues. It seems harmless at first, until M3GAN begins to grow smarter, and starts to learn what makes Cady tick. The neighbor’s dog, check. Bullies at her new school, check. M3GAN is almost the opposite of Chucky, as she makes it her mission to protect Cady, rather than try to kill her. But that means using her unrestrained intellectual abilities to concoct some grisly murders—well, grisly enough to still keep a PG-13 rating.

There’s some competition, of course, but “M3GAN” is probably the most fun I’ve had in a theater since “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” My screening was chock-full of teenagers and other young people, who consistently laughed out loud, clapped, and cheered loudly when M3GAN did really anything. Normally that kind of thing would distract from the movie right in front of me. But with a film like “M3GAN”—a movie already so tongue-and-cheek—I didn’t mind. And if anything, it really elevated the experience; boosting my enjoyment of the flamboyant campiness the movie always had to offer. The film is often funny, and I’d like to believe that all of the laughs were intentional.

If you’ve seen the trailer for “M3GAN,” you should know exactly what to expect from a movie like this. Does M3GAN chase after a boy, running on all fours? Yes, she most certainly does. Does M3GAN dance? Flipping, and kicking, and wiggling her body? Yes. Does she kill some people? Yup. You can call it horror, but it isn’t really. At least not real horror. “M3GAN” is more of a satire of the other movies from its genre, and knows it. The thing that makes “M3GAN” so satisfying is that it takes itself only as seriously as the audience can afford. And that means not seriously at all.

At one point M3GAN sings a song to Cady. I won’t say what it is, or the context it takes place in, but it’s funny. My audience was roaring.

Director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper (“Malignant”) craft a narrative so unabashedly silly, that “M3GAN” inches close to becoming a comedy. The movie finds a near perfect balance between camp and serious themes of grief and loneliness, without ever sounding pretentious or unreasonable. And, considering the premise, it’s a marvel how heartfelt the movie ends up being.

The one-dimensional performances in “M3GAN” however, sometimes hold it back from reaching its full potential. Williams is fine in the movie, and the young girl is respectable enough. But I feel as if I’m in no position to be criticizing the acting of all things in a movie like this, especially the performance of a child. Because the truth is that “M3GAN” is not a great movie whatsoever. It’s not really cinema, and only exists to be fun and entertaining. But I had such a fun time watching “M3GAN” regardless, that I almost feel like I shouldn’t criticize it. When I think about the film, there really isn’t a whole lot of negative that comes to mind. I just think of what a blast the movie is.

So I won’t say much. Just go see the movie and decide for yourself.

Now playing in theaters.