M3gan (2022) - Hardly original, but great fun

Dolls who come alive and kill people are hardly new in the horror genre (the 'Child's Play' franchise being the 'granddaddy' of them all), so 2022's 'M3gan' (or 'Megan' to be technically correct) has no right to be as entertaining as it actually is.

A computer/robotics engineer's niece is forced upon her when the little girl's parents tragically die in a car accident.  Rather than spend all her time looking after the youngster, she creates the first lifesize doll who can interact with the child, utilising the power of artificial intelligence.

Obviously, everything starts out fine, but naturally - being the horror genre - the doll takes on a life of its own and starts warping its own programming to fit its murderous intentions.

As I say, nothing new, but the doll itself is an excellent antagonist - she's made or metal and therefore has increased strength, not to mention perfect reactions.  But also she's wired into the internet, so effectively she possesses the entire knowledge of the world wide web and can tap into anything with a wifi connection.  Then, when chaos breaks out, she can just go limp and pretend to be a toy.

Despite being the antagonist, Megan was by far the best/most entertaining part of the film and it's rare that - effectively - a doll carries the movie.

Whether you're a fan of killer doll movies, or just horror in general, this one is definitely a slice above the rest.

8/10