'M3GAN is far greater than the sum of her recycled parts' – review

A clip of cinema’s latest mad robot dancing down a corridor before butchering someone with a makeshift machete has already gone viral. While the trailer is precision tooled to push the buttons of the social media generation, the film is a more old-fashioned affair. It’s a camp horror that effectively mixes the thrills of scary doll flick Child’s Play and killer android movie The Terminator.

In the very near future, Gemma (Allison Williams) is trying to juggle her work as a robot toy designer with her role as neglectful guardian to her recently orphaned nine-year-old niece Cady (Violet McGraw).

With a deadline approaching to present her new project to her slimy boss (Ronny Chieng), she hits on a way to kill two birds with one proverbial. Her latest creation is an eerily life-like AI doll that will not only keep kids quiet but take over parenting duties. M3GAN (Amie Donald in a latex mask) can belt out a soothing ballad, help with homework and nag children to flush the toilet.

Sadly, Gemma failed to insert a morality chip before pairing up the prototype with her traumatised niece. When the kid is bitten by her neighbour’s dog, M3GAN begins to whir with murderous intent.

We pretty much know where this is heading from the off and screenwriters James Wan (The Conjuring) and Akela Cooper (Malignant) toy with our expectations with a knowing wink.

They may have borrowed heavily from older films but their witty script makes M3GAN far greater than the sum of her recycled parts.

• M3GAN, Cert 15, In cinemas now