As designed, M3GAN is a life-like doll (or uncanny valley nightmare, depending on your perspective), and programmed with powerful and advanced artificial intelligence that drives her to do whatever is necessary for the well-being of the child with whom she is linked.

It’s the kind of creepiness that inspires grins and random chuckles instead of preparing you for big screams, and that’s wholly intentional; it’s perhaps a step too far for me to call M3GAN a horror comedy, but there certainly isn’t a fear that laughs are going to undermine the terror. When M3GAN starts to talk back to Gemma aggressively and assert more independence, her sharp personality lowers the temperature of your blood a bit, but simultaneously makes you want to let out an audible, “Oooh” like you’re a member of a talk show audience.

Where this film does excel is in the design of the character. The design is terrific, as her prim and proper appearance (albeit with Anime eyes) is contrasted in excellent ways by her disturbing behavior, and the techniques used to animate her are flawless. Puppeteering, visual effects, and a costumed performer (Amie Donald) were used by the production, and they all work together seamlessly to make the android seem like she is both alive and still a toy (the perfect recipe for generating uncanny valley-based unease).

By far the most entertaining sequence, already spoiled by the film’s surprising viral, meme-generating trailer, finds M3gan dance-murdering this one character set to the disco cult classic track “Walk the Night,” from the Skatt Brothers. (An equally moody use of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s “Deadly Valentine” assists in an overall well-curated soundtrack).

The main problem I have is with this being rated PG-13. You’re all set and ready for the cute/terrifying doll to go full tilt as a horror villain… but the movie never gets to that point, and there are fingers to be pointed at the decision for the production to target a PG-13 rating. There is undoubtedly escalation in the behavior of the antagonist, but it’s not translated well enough in her actions, with the full extent of her insanity being kept off-screen. This is a movie that should have an absolutely wild and bloody finale, and it’s unable to deliver it.

M3GAN isn’t entirely the experience I want it to be. I mean the writer of this was the writer of the cinematic Schlock fest "Malignant" so I was expecting way more over-the-topness. But its best qualities outweigh its faults in reflection. It’s a well-made, experience and an ok enough opening act for the horror movies to come in 2023.

7/10