Review | M3GAN movie review: AI robot doll runs amok in rollicking sci-fi horror cross between Annabelle and The Terminator

James Wan’s latest horror comedy stars Allison Williams as a roboticist who introduces a humanoid doll to her bereaved niece to support and protect her

Things turn murderous when she tries to distance the pair, in a thoroughly entertaining film that may have spawned the latest horror icon

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Violet McGraw (right) in a still from M3GAN (category: IIB), which also stars Allison Williams and Amie Donald, and is directed by Gerard Johnstone. Photo: Handout

Published: 4:15pm, 10 Jan 2023Updated: 4:22pm, 10 Jan 2023

4/5 stars

An artificially intelligent doll runs amok in M3GAN, writer-producer James Wan and Blumhouse Productions’ deliriously comic science-fiction horror film.

Equal parts Annabelle and The Terminator, the film taps into the audience’s pediophobia – fear of dolls and inanimate objects that look real – and technophobia, while raising legitimate concerns about trauma, attachment theory and excessive screen time.

Allison Williams continues her hot streak in horror movies, following up stellar turns in Get Out and The Perfection, as roboticist Gemma, who works for a state-of-the-art toy company in Seattle, in the United States, developing interactive virtual pets.

When the sudden death of her sister leaves her saddled with her traumatised niece Cady (Violet McGraw), Gemma unwisely introduces her to M3GAN, an uncannily lifelike 4ft (1.2 metre) tall robot she has been developing in secret.

To everyone’s surprise, Cady responds positively to her new AI companion, while M3GAN in turn learns to provide attentive emotional support to the grief-stricken girl.