Watch for the scares, stay for the laughs in ‘M3GAN’

CEBU, Philippines — The premise of “M3GAN” is quite straightforward. It’s about the titular artificial intelligence-powered doll developed by an aunt (played by Allison Williams) that becomes a friend to a lonely niece (Violet McGraw) who is processing the death of her parents from a car accident.

Unfortunately for the characters (and much joy for the viewers), M3GAN becomes self-aware and becomes hostile to anyone who tries to harm her human companion thanks to flawed programming by the aunt.

When you have a robotic doll that dances in the middle of a murder spree and creepily sings hit songs like “Titanium” as a lullaby, the worst thing that the movie can do is to take itself too seriously.

Thankfully, the latest Blumhouse Productions horror flick is very much aware that their concept is ridiculous and they decided to approach it in a campy manner where there is a noticeable balance between horror and humor.

“M3GAN” may still have a considerable amount of scares for the audience. But they may find themselves laughing during certain moments of the movie thanks to its clever humor. If you found yourself laughing during a scene, the movie fulfilled its purpose.

The M3GAN doll herself is already a pop culture icon before the movie was released thanks to her ridiculous, yet iconic dance in the film’s trailer and her eerily, sassy robotic delivery. For sure, Annabelle and Chucky have some competition with the new horror doll in town.

The movie does not come without its flaws though as its climax gets too action-oriented. Considering that the movie was heading more in a horror, subtle comedy direction, it could have had much more witty dialogue to make the ending more enjoyable to watch.

The film also missed an opportunity to expand on the backstory of the aunt who was distant from her niece’s mother before her death. Exploring her backstory would have helped shed more light on why she decided to create the M3GAN doll in the first place and explain why she does not know how to take care of her niece properly. The movie compensates for this flaw by focusing on the progression of the relationship between the aunt and the niece and how she slowly tries to become a better guardian to her orphaned kin.

“M3GAN” is worth a watch with the campy execution of its ridiculous premise. If you are scared, it’s intentional. If you are laughing, it’s also intentional. It’s best watched with a group to maximize the WTF effect among while watching the movie. Three and a half stars out of five.