As soon as the first GIF of a dancing M3GAN hit Twitter, it was obvious: The latest addition to the evil-doll cinematic universe wouldn’t just be a cheap scare. She would be a legend. A good deal of M3GAN the movie’s popularity rides on that unforgettable, seconds-long dance sequence that played so heavily in its marketing, at once hilarious and deeply unsettling. But the titular toy’s appeal is more than just a piece of perfectly executed choreo.
While much has been made of “elevated” horror movies in recent years, M3GAN revels in its ridiculousness. The movie follows Cady (Violet McGraw), a young girl who has recently lost her parents in a toy-related car accident. She’s taken in by her aunt, Gemma (an excellent Allison Williams), a brilliant inventor and a reluctant guardian. To ease Cady’s pain—and unload the burden of parenting onto someone/thing else—Gemma at last finishes the AI-powered robot M3GAN (short for Model 3 Generative Android, played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) and lets the pair get dangerously close. M3GAN’s primary directive: Protect Cady from harm.
In the vein of Chucky, Brahms, and Annabelle before her, M3GAN doesn’t take long to go off the rails. Genre fans might be disappointed by the lack of gristle that comes with a PG-13 rating, save for one particularly nasty scene involving an ear. But there’s a silver lining: M3GAN is way funnier than it is scary, meaning pretty much everyone—even the scaredy-cats of the world—can enjoy the movie’s delights.
It’s for the best. Nearly everything about M3GAN (and M3GAN herself) was designed to go viral. Of course, there’s the dancing, but plenty of other moments lend themselves to the language of meme culture: M3GAN singing “Titanium” as a lullaby; sitting, E.T.-style, amid a pile of conventional toys; reacting with a knowing smirk when ordered to look confused. The opening is a fake commercial featuring pooping Furbys. The doll is voiced by Davis, also known as the internet-famous “Penny Nickel Dime” girl. The marketing campaign has been unmissable and unhinged, to say the least.