REVIEW: “M3GAN” haunts and confuses viewers

M3GAN+is+seen+lurking+over+Cadys+bed+as+she+charges+up+for+the+night.+Cadys+aunt+created+M3GAN+as+a+way+for+Cady+to+get+over+the+loss+of+her+parents+and+so+she+does+everything+she+can+to+protect+her.+%28Screenshot+from+Universal+Studios+official+trailer%2C+taken+by+Emily+Olson+on+Feb.+6%2C+2023%29

M3GAN is seen lurking over Cady’s bed as she charges up for the night. Cady’s aunt created M3GAN as a way for Cady to get over the loss of her parents and so she does everything she can to protect her. (Screenshot from Universal Studios official trailer, taken by Emily Olson on Feb. 6, 2023)

Emily Olson and Lillian Robles

The movie “M3GAN” was one of the most anticipated movies this year, produced by Jason Blum and James Wan. The trailer was first released on Oct. 11, 2022 and ever since then, it has been all the buzz. When the movie came to the theaters on Jan. 6, 2023, people had mixed emotions. 

The topic of robots or AI taking over our lives has been very prevalent recently, especially with the pandemic and everything going online. Relying on technology and bringing it to our homes can be a great thing, but when does it become a problem?

This question was brought up throughout the film and emphasized the importance of human interaction rather than technology being the only way we communicate. M3GAN’s relationship with Cady, the young girl she is connected to, highlights the way that some kids are brought up on technology and become reliant on it. 

The trailer for the movie presented itself as a “Chucky” type movie but instead of a doll it’s a robot. It had audiences ready for the next big horror film, yet when watching the movie all of the best “scary” scenes were already shown in the trailer. Not only that, but the movie as a whole was more of a comedy rather than a horror, which is different from how the trailer presented it. Sure, the dancing robot was weird, but it was still a bit of a shock when M3GAN did more singing than actual killing. 

There were many comedic moments in this movie, but the scene that caught everyone’s attention was when M3GAN began to sing the song “Titanium” by Sia and David Guetta. The reason this scene stuck out to people was because it was very unexpected and didn’t really make sense with the rest of the scene. The clip of M3GAN singing has been reposted and memed heavily by users on TikTok and other social media platforms because they agree that it was comically random.

Overall the film struggled with focusing on one intended audience. It was promoted as a horror film yet played as a comedy. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when it comes to M3GAN it left the audience confused and wondering what they just watched.