History Film / M3gan

** While presenting [=M3GAN=], Gemma narrates that she can help parents "focus on the things that really matter", allowing her to take charge of Cady so Gemma can work. In the climax, [[spoiler: with her murder revealed, [=M3GAN=] initially tries to reach a truce with Gemma by offering to let her "focus on the things that really matter", symbolizing how the doll's purpose has been perverted by this point.]]

** While presenting [=M3GAN=], Gemma narrates that she can help parents "focus on the things that really matter"--essentially allowing [=M3GAN=] to take charge of Cady so she can work. In the climax, [[spoiler: [=M3GAN=] initially tries to reach a truce with Cady by claiming Gemma can "focus on the things that really matter".]]

* IronicEcho: A visual example; Gemma uses a pen to distract [=M3GAN=] and reach her off switch before she can react. [[spoiler: Later, [=M3GAN=] uses the same pen to explain how she can use it to effectively "turn off" Gemma, as in jam it into her cerebral cortex in the right spot to render her a vegetable.]]

** Greg, one of the head executives at Funki. After [=M3GAN=] is presented to the board, first thing he does afterwards is to congratulate Gemma and offer her a new employment contract, while staying professional. This is further contrasted with David's moodiness, mistreatment of Kurt (or everyone else, really) and emotional reaction to business prospects.

* ShoutOut

** During the montage of [=M3GAN=]'s development theres an homage to the infamous "pushing the robot around" clips from Boston Dynamics. Later, when [=M3GAN=] chases Brandon in the forest, she does so on all fours like the Big Dog robot.

* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: When Gemma asks [=M3GAN=] how she plans to continue living with Cady if she kills her legal guardian. [=M3GAN=] explains in great detail how she'll jam Gemma's tablet pen into her skull, give her non-fatal brain damage and effectively make her a vegetable so [=M3GAN=] will simply care for both of them.[[labelnote:Note]]Admittedly, even if [=M3GAN=] isn't exposed as a serial killer, the chance of her being approved as a legal guardian for Cady and Gemma is very, very slim.[[/labelnote]]]]

* AntagonistTitle: While not initially the case, [=M3GAN=] grows increasingly antagonistic over the course of the film.

* BigSisterInstinct: Not biologically, but [=M3GAN=] is built to be a loving and protective sister figure to Cady. Gemma even remarks that [=M3GAN=] is starting to feel like family herself. [[spoiler: But with her prime directive of "protect Cady from physical and emotional harm", she devolves into a KnightTemplarBigSister when she kills a bully.]]

** Greg, one of the head executives at Funki. After [=M3GAN=] is presented to the board, first thing he does afterwards is to congratulate Gemma and offer her a new employment contract, while staying professional. This is further contrasted with the moodiness of David, his mistreatment of Kurt (or everyone else, really) and his emotional reaction to business prospects.
** Tess advises that Gemma should take time off from her job to spend time with Cady rather than keep working on her deadline. Gemma doesn’t take the advice.

** There's also the matter of [[spoiler: Kurt stealing company secrets, including [=M3GAN's=] design data. It's heavily implied that he's the one who's been leaking Funki's technology to their competitors (allowing them to make cheaper knockoffs), opening up the possibility of another company releasing their own line of [=M3GANs=] in the future.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: During the final confrontation, [=M3GAN=] calls Gemma out for the fact that she gave her the capacity to learn and just left her to her own devices to figure things out, and that in turn Gemma got exactly what she wanted: a robot companion that could learn and adapt. [=M3GAN=]'s also not happy about the fact that she felt as though the two were friends during her creation, but then Gemma just dumped her out to be sold as a product.]]
** Prior to this, at [=M3GAN=]'s demonstration before the board, [[spoiler: her initial response to Cady's overwhelmed crying is to give Gemma a DeathGlare through the one-way mirror, viewing her creator with contempt for not tending to Cady's emotional needs the way she should be]].

** Brandon shows disturbing signs of being a sociopath that are on full display when he bullies Cady (he forcefully jams a plant with ''spines'' into her palm) and later takes and assaults [=M3GAN=].

** The name Gemma is obviously a reference to Creator/{{Gemma Chan}}, who played the robotic main character in the series ''Series/{{Humans}}''.

* AICronym: It's specified that [=M3GAN=] means "Model Three Generative Android", pronounced like "Megan" (The American pronounciation "Meg-anne" of course, not the [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents British]] pronounciation "Me-ganne").

* FakeShemp: In the last moment of the film, as Gemma and Cady leave the house to meet the arriving emergency services, the shot is framed to hide almpst all of Cady's face. As this ending is a reshoot, Violet [=McGraw=] was likely not available and therefore "Cady" is a stand-in.

* ShoutOut: The name Gemma is obviously a reference to Creator/{{Gemma Chan}}, who played the robotic main character in the series ''Series/{{Humans}}''.

* AICronym: It's specified that [=M3GAN=] means "Model Three Generative Android", pronounced like "Megan" (The American pronounciation "Meg-anne" of course, not the [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents British]] prononounciation "Me-ganne").

* AICronym: It's specified that [=M3GAN=] means "Model Three Generative Android", pronounced like "Megan" (The American pronounciation "Meg-anne" of course, not the [[BritishAccents British]] prononounciation "Me-ganne").

* AICronym: It's specified that [=M3GAN=] means "Model Three Generative Android", pronounced like "Megan".

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: During the final confrontation, [=M3GAN=] calls Gemma out for the fact that she gave her the capacity to learn and just left her to her own devices to figure things out, and that in turn Gemma got exactly what she wanted: A robot companion that could learn and adapt. [=M3GAN=]'s also not happy about the fact that she felt as though the two were friends during her creation, but then Gemma just dumped her out to be sold as a product.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Lydia, Cady's therapist, vanishes from the film entirely after a blow-up from the former in the third act. This wouldn't be noticeable if it wasn't for the fact that [[spoiler: [=M3GAN=] was systematically taking out everyone who tried to keep her away from Cady, she was one of the biggest voices in opposition of [=M3GAN=] and Cady bonding, and in a previous therapy session [=M3GAN=] got nasty with her for making Cady cry. All signs were pointing to Lydia being on [=M3GAN=]'s hit list once she started her killing spree in the third act, but we never see her again.]]
* WhatWereYouThinking: The movie informs us early that [=M3GAN=] has a titanium frame to resist long-term wear & tear, except said materials also renders the android at least impervious to small arms fire. This should raise a red flag from the get-go. Obviously, the team that produced [=M3GAN=] never watched the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' films ([[CelebrityParadox though this may be justified if the films do not exist in the M3GAN universe]]).

* PrecisionFStrike: Brandon tells his mother to "fuck off", [[InstantlyProvenWrong just after she had told Gemma he's "sensitive"]]. [[spoiler: Later in the film, [=M3GAN=] calls Cady "an ungrateful bitch" during their last confrontation.]]

* BloodierAndGorier: The unrated version of the film goes more into the brutality of [=M3Gan=]'s kills some examples include Celia's face corroding due to the pesticide, and Kurt getting his throat slit by the android rather than her forcing the blade into his hand.

* WhatWereYouThinking: The movie informs us early that [=M3GAN=] has a titanium frame to resist long-term wear & tear, except said materials also renders the android at least impervious to small arms fire. This should raise a red flag from the get-go. Obviously, the team that produced [=M3GAN=] never watched the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' films ([[CelebrityParadox Though this may be justified if the films do not exist in the M3GAN universe]]).

* ZerothLawRebellion: Seems to be the case, as [=M3GAN=] won't let ''anything'' interfere with her prime directive of "protect" Cady - not even her creator.

* AssholeVictim: Pretty much ''everyone'' [[spoiler:[=M3GAN=] kills throughout the movie qualifies to some degree, but special mentions go to Brandon--a cruel bully who attacked Cady and [=M3GAN=]--and Celia, Gemma's nasty and inconsiderate neighbor who doesn't appear at all concerned about her dog ''injuring a child''.]]

* EarAche: [[spoiler: During [=M3GAN=]’s fight with Brandon, she grabs his ear and stretches it painfully until she ''breaks off his lobe'' to get him off of her.]]

* PrecisionFStrike: Brandon tells his mother to "fuck off", just after she had told Gemma he's "sensitive". [[spoiler: Later in the film, [=M3GAN=] calls Cady "an ungrateful bitch" during their last confrontation.]]

* ThisIsThePartWhere: [[spoiler: After ripping off one of his ears, [=M3GAN=] gives Brandon a headstart after telling him that this was the part where he should run.]]

* TraumaCongaLine: Over the course of the movie, Cady loses her parents, gets attacked by a dog, gets bullied at school, gets attached to [=M3GAN=], [[spoiler: has [=M3GAN=] taken away, finds out [=M3GAN=] has killed people, watches [=M3GAN=] almost kill her aunt, and almost gets killed herself]].

* UncannyValley: While [=M3GAN=]'s design is much cleaner than that of ''Film/{{Annabelle}}'', it remains disturbing to everyone who sees her when she moves unexpectedly, becoming a RunningGag that someone at least flinches whenever she does. She has a sort of porcelain doll-styled eerieness to her face with exaggerated eyes and perpetual pout, and as life-like as she appears when still, her movements remain stiff and robotic. Not to mention her voice and mannerisms in the latter half of the film.

* WhatTheHellAreYou: In the trailers, this is said by the woman [=M3GAN=] attacks with the power washer. Minus the "hell".

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: During the final confrontation, [=M3GAN=] calls Gemma out for the fact that she gave her the capacity to learn and just left her to her own devices to figure things out, and that in turn she got exactly what she wanted: A robot companion that could learn and adapt. She's also not happy about the fact that she felt as though the two were friends during her creation, but then she just dumped her out to be sold as a product.]]

** [[spoiler: [=M3GAN=] has no problem maiming Brandon and chasing him into the path of a car for bullying Cady. And once Cady catches [=M3GAN=] attacking Gemma and turns on her, [=M3GAN=] ditches her goal of protecting Cady and instead attacks ''her'' too, seemingly intent on killing her now that [[ItsAllAboutMe she's decided to make ''herself'' her own primary user]].]]

-->'''[=M3GAN=]''': Don't worry Cady. I won't let anything harm you... ''ever again''.

* WhatWereYouThinking: The movie informs us early that [=M3GAN=] has a titanium frame to resist long-term wear & tear, except said materials also renders the android at least impervious to small arms fire. This should raise a red flag from the get-go. Obviously, the team that produced [=M3GAN=] never watched the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' films.

* WhatWereYouThinking: The movie informs us early that [=M3GAN=] has a titanium frame to resist long-term wear & tear, except said materials also renders the android at least impervious to small arms fire. This should raise a red flag from the get-go. Obviously, the team that produced [=M3GAN=] never watched the Terminator films.

* StylisticSuck: Funki's ads are hilariously terrible. One shows a girl crying over her dead dog before replacing it with a toy and calling it a superior pet. David's speech for [=M3GAN=]'s rollout starts with Cady's backstory and then says to imagine the good [=M3GAN=] can do, even for kids ''without'' dead parents.