Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Strong horror violence in entertaining killer-robot movie.
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M3GAN
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 54 parent reviews
Based on 128 kid reviews
Kids say the film is more of a light horror-comedy than a traditional scary movie, with many describing it as suitable for older preteens and teens due to its mild violence and limited gore. While some viewers found the storyline predictable and the scares less impactful than expected, others appreciated its themes and humor, making it a decent introduction to the horror genre for younger audiences.
- mild violence
- suitable for teens
- predictable storyline
- light horror-comedy
- great introduction
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In M3GAN, robotics engineer Gemma (Allison Williams) works for a toy company and is trying to build a sophisticated, realistic AI robot toy, with disappointing results. Gemma's sister and her husband are killed in a car accident, leaving Gemma in charge of her young niece, Cady (Violet McGraw). After her guardianship gets off to a rocky start, Gemma is inspired to finish her creation. M3GAN (played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) and Cady quickly become attached to each other, and, for a while, this friendship seems to be helping with Cady's grief. But before long, M3GAN starts developing disturbing tendencies, and violent "accidents" begin occurring.
Is It Any Good?
A combination of sly, funny self-awareness, a genuine sense of human grief and emotional connection, and an unsettlingly creepy-cool killer robot, this fun horror pic hits all the right buttons. With a story concocted by James Wan and Akela Cooper (Hell Fest, Malignant), M3GAN understands how horror movies are wired and gets pleasure in teasing viewers with these known elements while cheerfully sidestepping the story's flaws. The M3GAN character is in roughly the same vein as Chucky and the Terminator, but she's also their opposite. Her delicate frame, wide eyes, and girlish appearance make her attacks seem somehow more potent and surprising, and the movie uses them to the fullest capacity. The human characters are just as interesting as they grapple with loss in realistic, touching ways, going through rage, sadness, guilt, and more. (M3GAN's on-screen POV display, which shows her detected percentages of human emotions, is a huge kick.) This slick, neatly paced film keeps ramping things up until a smashing showdown, face-to-interface.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about M3GAN's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
How does the movie deal with death, grief, and loss? What is discussed? What else could have been discussed?
How is consumerism depicted here? Why does the toy company rush to put M3GAN on the market before she's ready, regardless of the consequences?
How is bullying behavior depicted? How is the person who perpetrates it dealt with? What are some better ways of handling those who bully others?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 6, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : February 8, 2023
- Cast : Allison Williams , Violet McGraw , Amie Donald
- Director : Gerard Johnstone
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s) , Black Movie Writer(s) , Asian Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Robots
- Run time : 102 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violent content and terror, some strong language and a suggestive reference
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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