Comparison between the Theatrical version and the Unrated version

31 differences, incl.
* 16x alternative material
* 4x digital retouching
* 2x plain audio censorship

Difference: 5.6 sec
* 1:10 min exclusive footage in the theatrical version
* 1:04 min exclusive footage in the Unrated version

Artificial intelligence wherever you look

The term "artificial intelligence" has been in use since 1955. Many AI components are already firmly integrated into our everyday life, e.g. in products of the notorious data giant Google: calculations on traffic events in Maps, website translations in Chrome, categorizations in image search etc pp. Especially in the last decades, there has been impressive progress on neural networks and in the sub-discipline of machine learning. Among techies and in Linkedin bubbles around digital marketing, the topic gained momentum in 2022, before it spilled over massively into all conceivable mass media with ChatGPT in early 2023. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg, because Midjourney, Dall-E or Stable Diffusion, for example, generate photorealistic images for the wildest ideas. For video content, too, there are now considerably more possibilities than the DeepFakes that are discussed critically from time to time.

Security concerns are omnipresent, and criminals and Internet trolls alike have already been eager to test out limits of the tools that are so eagerly discussed in the media. In the case of ChatGPT, for example, it was soon discovered that the AI was trained not to describe in detail obviously illegal activities such as a burglary - but with the specification to describe the necessary steps in a fictitious film scenario, one does reach the goal. Of course, Microsoft's chatboy TAY, which was launched in 2016, also comes to mind. It was immediately fed with racist propaganda and taken offline after less than 24 hours after several inappropriate responses. It wasn't quite as bad this time, but when Microsoft spiced up Bing search in February 2023 with a new development by ChatGPT founder OpenAI, there were also manipulative and offensive comments. Google's hasty presentation of Bard was accompanied by mishaps as well.

At their core, the (predominantly purely digital) capabilities of current tools are still based on huge amounts of data and statistical probabilities - although, unfortunately, humanity does not always set the best example for this. But it is probably only a matter of time before we can speak of "real" intelligence, which will then sooner or later also be used in advanced robotics.

M3GAN: A technology satire with a censored theatrical release

From our point of view, this little digression naturally leads over to the film world, where Fritz Lang already dealt with essential questions around the topic in 1927, way before the introduction of its scientific term, by introducing a Machine-person as the spitting image of the female main character in Metropolis. In several cinematic contributions since then  (for example Blade Runner or Ex-Machina and the particularly recommendable Her), benefits as well as above all risks of living together with artificial intelligence in all conceivable forms have been discussed. To put it simply, the suspense usually results from the fact that the life form, which was created to support humans, acquires a consciousness and inevitably turns against the creators to secure its own existence. And basically this is where the present title M3GAN also fits in.

The focus here is on an AI-equipped doll for children that turns into a cold-blooded killer after just a few days. Film fans will surely think of the neverending Chucky saga. But the series, which has always aimed for splatter moments and is clearly anchored in the horror genre, raises false expectations, because M3GAN is actually clearly designed as a (not particularly subtle) satire on the marketing hysteria described at the beginning of this text and corresponding anecdotes about the technological stumbling blocks. The urge to offer competitive products on a competitive market as quickly as possible, as described for Google's Bard, is after all a major plot driver. Entertainment value is clearly in the foreground of the film though, with pop culture references and, for example, the much-cited dance scene, the TikTok audience is also taken into account here.

One can certainly criticize a lot, but also have some fun with the final product. Viewers interested in the horror aspect of the plot once again found this a bit more difficult due to the unloved PG-13 rating. This also built up after the theatrical release, when it became clear that, for example, the elevator kill in the official trailer (time code 2:06min) hinted at a clearly more explicit version.

Unrated version of M3GAN for the home cinema release

Already in the week of the theatrical release, the screenwriter hinted that one could also expect a "much bloodier Unrated version". At the beginning of February 2023, the Australian classification with higher age rating confirmed the existence of it and shortly thereafter there was also certainty: from March 21, 2023, both versions of the film are on board on the American Blu-ray. As is so often the case these days, the VOD business is once again ahead of the game in terms of timing. Since February 24, 2023, you can already find both versions on the US streaming provider Peacock.

In a nutshell: Yes, the Unrated version is worthwhile in principle and offers some differences both in violence and cuss words. It should be the preferred choice for most interested parties, apart from younger and more squeamish audiences perhaps. Every kill scene is now a bit more explicit due to alternate or additional bits. Especially the already mentioned elevator kill shows quite a few adjustments in detail. In the other scenes, it's mainly smaller additions, but all of them drive up the gore factor a bit. Apart from that, the F-bomb is now used 12 times, while this was only the case once in the theatrical version.

On both points, however, one must also admit: M3GAN has now certainly not become a vulgar gorefest. The promise of a harder version for the movie was clearly kept, but those who expected completely new kills or other nasty scenes will perhaps be disappointed. In principle, the version used here would probably have received the R-rating without any problems and yet more, additional brutalities would honestly not have really made sense in the basic structure of the film. But who knows, maybe the sequel M3GAN 2.0, already announced for 2025, will go a different way here.

It's worth mentioning at this point that the Unrated version even runs a bit shorter than the Theatrical version. It's a no-frills version, so to speak: aside from the censored bits, no plot scenes or the like have been added, which often are the actual explanation why other Unrated versions had a longer running time. As a substitute for the bloodier, presumably "original" kills, the theatrical version had several alternative and even longer scenes to offer though. Partially these may seem more conclusive for the viewer, e.g. when M3GAN talks about suicide to Kurt in the elevator in both versions and only in the theatrical version makes sure that Kurt kills himself with the weapon. But as said, the bloody scenes will probably please many fans and one has both versions to choose from on the Blu-ray at least.

Running time information is arranged according to the scheme
Theatrical version in 23.976fps / Unrated in 23.976fps