M3GAN

What’s it about?

A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll named M3GAN that begins to take on a life of its own. M3GAN befriends Cady, a grieving young girl, before things go terribly wrong.

The facts

• Director: Gerard Johnstone (Housebound)
• English language
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Filmed in New Zealand

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Horror

Cady and M3GAN quickly form a friendship before M3GAN starts to show disturbing violence tendencies.

The character M3GAN is similar to a Chucky or Terminator-style robot, yet her doll-like appearance (wide eyes, girlish appearance) are designed to make her attacks all the more surprising and scary.

Violence

There are fight scenes, and characters are killed.

In one scene, someone’s ear is ripped off, and someone is shot with a nail gun and bitten by a dog. M3GAN chases a bully into the path of an oncoming car. Rather than showing the impact, the vehicle’s speed and sound suggest rather than show the crash.

In another scene the death of a nasty old neighbour is implied by a brief shot of bloody water washing down the drain.

Offensive language

There are several uses of “sh*t” and minimal use of words like “f**k” and “b*tch”.

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Horror films, scary sounds and pesky sleepovers
• M3GAN proves great horror doesn’t require violence (CBR.com)