M3GAN (2022)
While I haven't enjoyed everything James Wan has directed, I have by and large appreciated his films. His talents as a horror director particularly have really shown through over the years and it's these talents that I have come to appreciate. I didn't review it here (I should've), but I really enjoyed his last film: MALIGNANT, feeling it was a wonderful love letter to the 80s horror film boom. For the most part I've enjoyed the Conjuring universe, the Insidious films, and Dead Silence. For some reason, while I appreciate the films, I'm not terribly enthusiastic about the SAW series.
I was under the impression James Wan was directing M3GAN too and was really excited to see the movie. As you can imagine, I was disappointed to discover that he was not directing the film (especially since sinister dolls are among his specialty). Gerard Johnstone is the director of M3GAN, someone whom I'm not familiar with, with the story being from James Wan and Akela Cooper (who also worked on the story of Malignant with James Wan).
I didn't make it to the theater right away, so I heard the hype and positive response to Megan prior to seeing the film. My previous horror outings to the theaters had been largely disappointing; Halloween Ends and Skinamarink both being particularly negative experiences. So, maybe Megan had a larger task in regards to myself than it should've.
Megan was fun, pure and simple.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The setup and premise of the movie is solid and works well and it touches on a very real world issue: parenting and recovering from trauma. It isn't easy being a parent. It's really hard actually. And there are a lot people who aren't cut out to be parents. This film touches on both topics, but primarily on those who aren't good parents. It's these underlying messages that really resonated with me. Megan is basically an iPad and is a commentary on leaving children to be raised by devices rather than parenting ourselves.
But this is an underlying theme that, if you aren't a parent, could easily pass you by. Megan is creepy and unnerving. It's through her eyes that we perceive what's really happening in the film. We learn about the characters and situations alongside her. It's pretty ingenious and makes Megan all the more terrifying as we see how she comes to these violent conclusions. There are moments of dark humor and terror that keep the movie exciting and devilishly fun. And the pace kept the film moving, never really stalling.
By and large, I felt the movie lacked teeth though. I really wish the filmmakers would've went for it in terms of gore and graphic violence. Sounds sadistic, I know, but without potent elements such as remarkably grotesque scenes, I didn't feel there was much to make Megan standout from just another serviceable horror film. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but I didn't feel the movie gave back enough to become really noteworthy.
Knowing that originally the film was intended to be rated R, and per studio demand, it was cut down to PG-13, I can only imagine what might've been. I hope an R-rated director's cut sees release and I'd maybe be interested in seeing what that looks like. But as is, Megan is a good, if generic, time at the movies. I liked it well enough, but I don't see myself revisiting it. For those just starting to dip their toes in the horror waters, Megan may be a solid "gateway-horror" film.
Overall Ranking: 5 out of 10
Pandering to the kids has definitely worked in this film's favor as its box office is fantastic. And Megan has a lot of potential, but will it see that potential realized? Time will tell as a sequel has already been greenlit. As it stands now, I'll stick with my Chucky, Annabelle, Dead Silence, and Puppet Master movies. Still, nowadays you could do a lot worse. I actually enjoyed this movie as opposed to Halloween Ends and Skinamarink. In that respect, MEGAN is a masterpiece by comparison.
What did you think? The movie theater was packed when I went and it seemed like most everyone was enjoying themselves. This movie did elicit vocal responses from the audience, in a positive way.
Let us know in the comments!
For more of Blood Work's thoughts on horror, check out these other posts below
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