M3GAN has just tucked you in. You feel cozy and warm in your bed, waiting for what you know always comes next.

“I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose

Fire away, fire away

Ricochet, you take your aim

Fire away, fire away”

You begin dozing off to her singing…

“You shoot me down, but I won’t fall

I am titanium

You shoot me down, but I won’t fall

I am titanium”

Finally, you can go to sleep now that M3GAN has sung you “Titanium” by Rihanna.

Yes, this is a scene in the 2023 hit movie “M3GAN.” I don’t bring it up to laugh at the film, I bring it up because I’m laughing with the film.

“M3GAN,” a film about an A.I. doll turned evil, actually surprised me. Not only did I find myself smiling at the film’s conclusion, but I left the theater gushing about it with my family because it was just that good.

If you don’t already know, “M3GAN” is about a doll with artificial intelligence that enters the lives of main characters Cady and Gemma. After Cady’s parents die in a car crash, Gemma takes her into custody. However, the techy aunt isn’t that great with kids. So, to keep her company, Gemma introduces her to M3GAN, a prototype of Gemma’s latest invention.

The film has a similar concept to the Chucky movies, wherein a doll turns murderer; however, “M3GAN’ has so much fun with the concept. For example, for one of her kills, M3GAN chases her victim by galloping like a horse. For no reason. I just find it hilarious to see what looks like a freakishly realistic little girl robot galloping before a murder. It’s just the right amount of random and goofy to keep me entertained.

But M3GAN does more than just gallop. She intimidates victims by dancing, playing piano, and sass-talking. Her wide array of skills can’t help but make me love her as a villain.

Any horror film can startle the audience with a couple of jump scares and brutal deaths, but M3GAN surprisingly leaves the viewer with a thought-provoking message about technology. Throughout the film, Cady feels separation anxiety whenever she’s not with M3GAN. At one point, when Gemma takes M3GAN away,  Cady even slaps her out of frustration. Gemma, calm and understanding, empathizes with Cady, saying technology isn’t a solution, it’s a distraction from the grief she feels. Cady depends on M3GAN as a source of happiness in her bleak situation. I mean, she lost everything. Who wouldn’t do the same?

Personally, I fall into the same trap with technology. Whenever I have homework assignments or an essay that actually requires effort, I shut down. I procrastinate, I avoid my computer desk, and I watch YouTube so I don’t have to think about the work I should be doing. However, as I procrastinate, the burden of having to do my homework doesn’t go away. The YouTube videos are just a momentary distraction.

After leaving the theater, I was surprised at how “M3GAN,” a film about a singing, dancing, psychotic robot could make me self-reflect and leave me with a powerful message.

And for that reason, I recommend to anyone that they watch “M3GAN.” It’s a good, fun movie with a solid message, and probably one of my favorite slasher films of all time. I give “M3GAN” a 9/10.