'M3GAN' review: Funnier and smarter than it had to be

They might as well cancel killer doll movies after "M3GAN." It's hard to imagine anything doing it better.

That starts with the doll herself, which you may have seen in a series of viral public appearances in recent weeks. It's a fully conscious android who seems to have been designed to appear as malevolent as possible. She's ostensibly a preteen girl, conceived by roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) as a caregiving companion to lonely children and a salve for overtaxed parents.

But her hollow, piercing eyes and propensity for chilling death stares make it pretty clear that something went very wrong. And that's before M3GAN starts killing anyone who gets in the way of her relationship with Cady (Violet McGraw), Gemma's orphaned niece who becomes the first test subject sent home with this brand-new doll before it hits the market.

This is an excellent character, unhinged in the best sense of the word and flamboyant about it, too, unrelenting in her commitment to eliminate any obstacles to whatever she might perceive to be in Cady's best interests.

Director Gerard Johnstone and screenwriter Akela Cooper do not restrain themselves in depicting the depths of M3GAN's megalomania. But they also find the comedy in the series of terrible decisions that had to go into bringing something like this to life and, potentially, to millions of children worldwide.

The funniest moments revolve around Gemma's sheer obliviousness. Like many a horror character before her, she appears to have never seen a horror movie. 

Sure, why not, let's bring this incredibly valuable and untested prototype to an outdoor school gathering and have her sit in a pile with inanimate toys. No need to listen to the neighbor who says the doll stares at her at 3 a.m. every night; it's just a TOY after all. What could possibly go wrong? That dog probably just ran off, you know.

While a lesser movie might be condemned for having a character make such blatantly terrible decisions, in "M3GAN" they serve a larger thematic purpose.

Exhausted parents might dream of a creation designed to help work through the most difficult moments. Even the most well-equipped and thoughtful of caregivers might need a shortcut now and again, or be so desperate to make their loved one happy that they would look past some obvious red flags. Plus, it's not a great stretch to imagine something a lot like M3GAN being dreamed up somewhere in Silicon Valley at this very moment.

So "M3GAN" serves as a cautionary tale about a deranged, dancing doll. Sign us up.