M3GAN (Unseen Edition)

Kinda conflicted on this. On the one hand, it's a nice idea. The design of M3GAN itself is cool, the visual FX are fine (loved M3GAN running on all-fours, and the dance), and the cast do a good job. On the other hand, it takes far too long to get going, some of the dialogue sounds a bit 'first draft', and there are some really dumb character decisions. Okay, this is horror; dumb character decisions are par for the course. But this is a sci-fi/horror, and you're supposed to at least buy into the premise. So,

1. When you're designing a household robot as a companion for a child, why make it as strong as a freaking Terminator? Make it as strong as an adult! We've been raising children for a long time. I've raised two - and I can honestly say I was strong enough to perform any task needed.

2. Why the hell isn't there a 'killswitch' that someone can carry in their pocket, to immediately disable the robot? Not a switch on the (super-strong) robot itself that you need to try to access, but one you can use from a distance - even another room, if need be.

3. Surely, a primary consideration by the design team would be consultation with child psychologists every step of the way! There could be major implications for any child's mental well-being when bonding with an artificial being, let alone a child who's recently been through the most traumatic event any child can experience! The designer and her team here seemed content to just 'see how things work out'!

I've read that test screenings persuaded the studio to reshoot parts to make it accessible for a younger audience. The version I watched was supposedly uncut (although from what I've read there are still scenes missing); I know if I'd seen the TC I'd have felt cheated. I hope they make the promised sequel more hard-hitting.

The things I like I rate an 8; the things I don't like get a 5. Overall, 6.5/10