Recently, Mrs. Roberts‘s Honors English IV class watched “M3GAN,” a 2022 horror/sci-fi film about an artificially intelligent doll. While this film may seem random, it is heavily based off of the classic novel “Frankenstein,” so much so that it is considered a “modern retelling.” Before reading, however, please beware that spoilers lie ahead!
In the original novel, Victor Frankenstein obtains the knowledge of creating life from inanimate objects; in “M3GAN,” Gemma, the main character, knows how to create a robot with a mind of it’s own, capable of self-sufficiency and teaching herself about the world around her. Thus, like “Frankenstein,” “M3GAN” also centers around a character who is too smart for their own good; whose unchecked ambitions lead to ruin. However, the director of “M3GAN,” Gerard Johnstone, decided to incorporate modern elements, such as AI, to make the film more relevant to our time period.
To gain more information as to why, out of all films, “M3GAN” was chosen for Honors English IV’s “Frankenstein” unit, I asked Mrs. Roberts, to give us her professional insight: “My ‘why’ for including ‘M3GAN’ is to give students an opportunity to see, in the 21st century, how Shelley’s ideas are still relevant in terms of human interaction and technology. Similar to Mary’s disconnect from her father, Gemma becomes disconnected with Cady, her niece, largely due to her work.”
How cool is it to witness how ideas from centuries ago can still be applied today? When, I asked the opinion of a student, senior Kayla Tolentino, who had the opportunity to watch the film in class, she told me: “I really liked watching the movie ‘M3GAN’ right after reading ‘Frankenstein’ and making connections between the two. There is so much to learn from scientific discoveries and responsibilities of the past that carries into modern society today.”
After reading these reviews, I really hope you take the time to watch “M3GAN,” especially if you’ve already read “Frankenstein.” An already great movie, it’ll seem even better after seeing how it connects to a story written over 200 years ago. But remember, it is a horror movie, so it just might spook you!
