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I watched the new Blumhouse horror movie Megan and found it eye-opening. Conspiracy theorists talk about how movies can be predictive programming, and I felt the same after leaving the theater.
I see a future where we all use technology similar to Megan. An android or robot that monitors you, knows what you like, can tell you what you want to hear, and gently discipline you. Gives updates on your health and sells goods marketed explicitly to you. How far are we now with virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, or our smartphones and smartwatches?
Other movies demonstrate a similar type of technology, like 'Blade Runner 2049' with Joi, 'Her' with Joaquin Phoenix, and his device 'Samantha.' Something closer to the Megan doll is a UK sci-fi show called 'Humans' where 'Synths' live alongside human beings. They cook, clean, and shop for groceries; humans have sex with them.
Cady(the young girl in the film)becomes addicted to Megan. She lets her guardian Gemma(the character who invents the robot), know that Megan makes her feel good, safe, and protected. The film makes commentary on our obsession with our phones and technology; during the movie, a couple of people in nearby rows annoyingly looking at their phones during the film multiple times.
Gemma(played by 'Get Out's Allison Williams) is successful and focused on her career but absent emotionally as a guardian. She chooses this role after her sister and sister's husband(Cady's parents)die in a freak accident.
But preferring work over dealing with her niece, she decides to have the technology(i.e., Megan) babysit Cady. Gemma also uses Cady for research purposes and advancement in her company. I've seen many parents do this present day when they hand over their phones and tablets to their children to keep them occupied or put on a streaming service with kids' content to keep them busy.
Megan and Cady(played by Violet Mcgraw)were both the highlights. Three different actresses and, I'm sure, a lot of makeup, FX, and CGI work bring Megan to life.
This killer doll exhibits Ultron/Avengers 2-like powers where she can manipulate anything electrical and connect to other devices via the cloud; I'm assuming wifi and Bluetooth as well. Her face fits the traditional doll face but is creepy. If a doll as advanced as Megan were released under the American Girl line, it would be a big seller!
An entertaining and thought-provoking film that isn't scary and has some humorous moments. I can see this new horror character being around for years and having more movies and TV spin-offs.
Thoughts, comments? Do so below.
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