Disclaimer: Light spoilers for the film are included in this review.

“M3GAN” was a lot better than I thought it would be. 

I had low expectations given its production company Blumhouse has had a more than shaky track record in recent years. Still, they occasionally release something worthwhile, like last year’s “The Black Phone.” 

“M3GAN” fits that bill. The film centers around a young girl who recently lost her parents and desperately needs something to distract her from that pain. 

Her aunt, an engineer at a popular toy company, takes custody of her and builds the most advanced artificial friend the world has ever seen named ‘M3GAN’ (Model 3 Generation Android). 

On the face of it, the film is comparable to the “Chucky” franchise in concept and genre alone, but “M3GAN” has a different purpose. It’s more than apparent the film is worried about the dangers presented by technology.

The overall message is that parents need to parent their kids instead of technology — a good message that I felt was too heavy-handed. My dad, who saw the movie with me, said it was a necessity. He reasoned that the people letting technology parent their children need a in-your-face message with no room for interpretation, something I’ve come to agree with. General audiences aren’t looking to discover hidden concepts, and “M3GAN” was made for general audiences. 

You can’t change hearts and minds in a day, but you can certainly leave them with something to think consider.

While its messaging is the center of the film, “M3GAN” is still an enjoyable watch. 

It never takes itself too seriously, which  helps the films overall tone. A few visual gags lead directly into some of the creepier moments in the film, and that juxtaposition feels balanced for most of the film. 

I do have to point out that the marketing was superb. I’d be watching football with some friends and all of a sudden the camera pans to six different people dressed up exactly like M3GAN with a deadpan stare directly into the camera, acting out these robotic dances on the field. 

Good marketing is rare but it helps keep the idea of seeing the movie ever so prevalent in your mind and, given its box office returns, it worked quite effectively. 

Jenna Davis and Amie Donald, the young girls who play our artificial antagonist, both do a fine job at portraying robotic movements and delivering these excitedly creepy lines. They clearly had fun with the work they were given and it transcends the screen. 

While I have a common criticism with these kinds of movies, the pacing tends to rush at times, making it feel like the film would rather show you the next scene instead of letting each develop further. 

A lot of the music is just stock horror violin tracks that feel recycled from the first “Insidious” movie but again, it’s a common criticism these movies have. Though I will say there are a few sequences when M3GAN begins singing or dancing and it completely contrasts the tone of their respective scenes in a very tongue in cheek way. 

Though it probably won’t stand out among the rest of the films this stacked year has to offer, “M3GAN” was all I wanted it to be. Fun. All in all, “M3GAN” sits at a 7/10 for me.