And yet, no one at Funki so much as considers the idea of going back to the drawing board to safety test a toy that might explode. Blinded by greed and a hunger for “progress,” they’re more concerned about getting a M3GAN in the hands of every kid in America. This isn’t a killer doll movie so much as it is a killer robot movie dressed up in doll’s clothing, and that distinction is what makes the social commentary offered up by “M3GAN” much more interesting than expected.
One of my favorite parts of “M3GAN,” aside from when M3GAN sings “Titanium” and dances down a hallway brandishing a paper cutter, is the fact that “toy” designer Gemma (Allison Williams) doesn’t actually have any toys in her house. She doesn’t even seem to understand what toys kids like. That’s because she actually makes robots, which thanks to their use of biometrics, machine learning, and surveillance, are a whole other, less inherently innocent thing. “M3GAN” never has that moment in which its killer doll comes to life for the first time, taking a secretive look at the sleeping family she plans to usurp because M3GAN has been nearly alive the whole time. She’s been smart and super-strong and apparently combustible from day one, and there are no limitations on what she can learn or do.