How M3GAN subverts the “kids and messy tech” trope

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As society progresses and more children grow up surrounded by technology, it’s natural for filmmakers to draw inspiration from it. It spawned the cyberpunk genre and spawned a number of films about our relationship with technology and the internet. However, it also evokes a trope that appears in almost every genre of film these days: the “kids these days and their dirty tools” trope.


You know. It is the character of the teenager who is glued to their phone. Instead of being outside, the children are sitting in front of tablets and playing video games. The constant, over-the-top jokes of adults who wave their hands in front of their child or who are completely clueless when their child talks about video games. It has now become a staple in film and TV. And, like most staples, they tire quickly.

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There is a solution to Trope Burnout: look at it differently.

fortunately, M3GAN He does this. The latest in a long line of hit movies, M3GAN It’s ultimately a story about the relationship between a toy roboticist, Gemma.Alison Williams) and her recently orphaned niece Cady (Violet McGraw). Not ready to be a babysitter for Caddy, Gemma ends up with the M3GAN, an android designed to be a companion and babysitter. Cady quickly approaches M3GAN and sends both Cady and M3GAN into a rage when Gemma tries to intervene. Finally, the crux comes when M3GAN decides that Gemma is totally unfit to be a mother.

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Image via Blumhouse

M3GAN It’s an amazing film in the way it subverts the “kids and their technology” trope. It is technically divided into two parts: the usual trope building and destruction. The film opens with a fight between Kadi’s parents during her screen time. Her mother says it should be limited to thirty minutes, but her father is more flexible. When she comes to live with Gemma, Cady asks how much screen time she’s allowed, and Gemma tells her as much as she wants. In fact, Gemma gives Caddy what even the older generation fears: a super-advanced piece of technology that removes the need for basic human interactions. The first half of the film builds the trope slightly to the left, but the point is still there. Kids spend a lot of time with technology. They love more than the people around them. That’s bad! Look how bad it is!

It’s pretty subtle how bad the movie is.

On the one hand, the first half of the film is very bright and shiny. She is marketing her by building M3GAN, seeing how valuable Caddy is in teaching and guiding, and how she allows caregivers (especially Gemma) the rest they need to do whatever they need. We are not. It is considered To see something wrong here. Even the adults in the film repeatedly say: they don’t care what kind of technology they push to children, because children are addicted. M3GAN is emphasizing on children as they bear the burden when their parents are away. She makes life easier, and every child wants her because she is the most advanced piece of technology that nothing can compare to. In this way, M3GAN As always he is telling the tired trope. The kids are to blame and that damn phone is the reason for the downfall of the youth.

RELATED: ‘M3GAN’ deserves to be rated R

However, then there is a pretty crucial scene. Caddy’s therapist, Gemma, warns Caddy that he is becoming too attached to M3GAN due to his lack of parents. The film’s tone begins to change. It’s no longer a silly, funny-horror story. This second half is where we see the trope break down. Caddy starts acting on Gemma and is afraid of being separated from M3GAN. She is verbally and physically aggressive towards Gemma whenever she tries to exert any parental control. Many films at this point blame technology, which influence increases the tendency of violence in children and makes them unable to form relationships with people. M3GANeven thought He sets up the second half with the aforementioned scene between Gemma and the therapist with a clear message.

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Image via Blumhouse

This feature is Gemma’s fault.

Fingers are not pointed at Cady, as Finger is understandably traumatized and uses the M3GAN as a coping mechanism in her aunt’s absence. Although M3GAN was an opponent, the damage was not done to her either. Gemma is just a machine made to do a job she wasn’t prepared for. Instead, the film points to Gemma as the source of the problem. Of course, she is a stand-in for the modern parent. Unsure of how to interact with Caddy and frustrated by the lack of care in things like putting cups on top of cups and flushing the toilet, Gemma sees an opportunity to not only create a memorable new product for her company, but also to be a caregiver. To protect her niece from her hair. Isn’t that so? It’s easy to let a child play on a tablet or watch TV. Teenagers don’t bother you when they’re playing video games or texting their friends.

But many movies that love the “tech-obsessed kids” trope seem to forget who it is He gave Children’s technology. Kids forget why they seem to work more when they’re sitting in front of a screen. It’s because they don’t get attention from their guardians. M3GAN He goes to great lengths to show this in the second half of the film with Kadi’s dialogue. She asks why he suddenly seems to care about what Gemma is doing. Gemma tells her to leave him alone. She ignores Gaeman’s questions and demands. However, it does not appear to be entirely caused by the M3GAN effect. Instead of learning how to take care of herself, Gemma is seen as a result of transferring her to M3GAN. This is the final breakdown of the trope. It usually takes something that spits and blames the kids and points the finger back at the adults.

m3gan social featured
Image by universal pictures

This is part of why M3GAN It manages to be scary even though it’s kind of a horror-comedy. Yes, sure, the M3GAN is a scary killer toy. We’ve all seen killer toys. But what happens when someone who isn’t ready for parenthood decides to build a replacement? What does it do to children when they are asked to face the fact that someone they should trust gives them a fancy toy or tablet and doesn’t try to get to know them? If you were in Gemma’s place – or if you lived in a world with Androids like M3GAN – it would be you Make the same decisions? For anyone in the audience with children, it’s a no-brainer. For those without children, it is equally frustrating; How will you cope when children suddenly come into your care if you are not ready for them?

M3GANActually, maybe it’s not that deep. The commentary on technology in modern parenting is perhaps an unintended consequence, but it does a wonderful job of taking the tiredness of “kids these days and their technology” born of ignorance and turning it into something that takes direction. Explore some of the sources of the problem instead of just laughing at the kids. It explores the dilemmas of parents and children in particularly difficult situations, making it clear that technology is unhealthy for children. Instead, he says the kids are fine…they just need a guiding hand. human being.

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