She’s no Chucky!…

Sitting in the dark of the cinema, waiting patiently for the first big horror film of 2023 to start, a young lady with her partner said out loud for all to hear “What’s this then?” three words which made many of us look her way to which the young man whose arm rested on her shoulder replied “Its like Chucky, a killer doll!”, a comparison that really should not be made once you’ve watched this new offering from the minds of James Wan and screenwriter Akela Cooper.

M3gan is no doubt dancing her way into becoming a new horror icon, a film that is destined to spawn a franchise but those looking for some R-rated horror may feel a little bit cheated as while Chucky goes in hard and more than happy to spray the gore, this new toy has more restraint, happy to create an eerie atmosphere and also throw in a dance move and belt out Sia’s pop hit ‘Titanium’?…..yes its camp horror, created for the teen audience, but with the popularity of such shows like Black Mirror, you can see why this will become one of the biggest hits of the year.

Director Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) shows a deft touch of patience before bringing the horror as we start with a tragedy and a life-changing moment for young Cady (Violet McGraw) who is sent to live with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), a talented toy designer who just happens to be working on a Model 3 Generative Android or M3GAN for short, a toy that more or less becomes a companion to the child it bonds with,

The more Cady plays with M3gan, the more the android learns about her surroundings and about life and subsequently death, and while the toy displays enough early warnings to pull the plug and maybe buy the young girl a puppy instead, its not long before anyone who threatens Cady, will know just how seriously this walking and talking plaything takes her “best friends for life” mandate.

Apart from the wicked design of the new toy, there is nothing on offer here that a horror fan hasn’t seen before even though the ride there is an entertaining one, the moments where it does threaten to become a horror movie are fleeting and you could say M3GAN is the perfect introduction to any young teenager into the world of toy terror….its harmless Child’s Play….

3 HATCHETS OUT OF 5