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Netflix’s newly acquired film, Subservience, quickly rose to become the platform’s current number-one most popular movie upon its streaming release on December 5, 2024. This comes as no surprise considering the immense star power that Megan Fox’s name brings to the film. However, despite its popularity, the Scott Dale project has been met with mediocre critic and audience reviews, garnering many five out of 10-star ratings. Not only is the film far from astounding, but it is also gaining some negative attention for its parallels to the Universal Pictures 2022 box-office hit, M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone.
Both M3GAN and Subservience take a special interest in telling sinister stories about realistic robots and warning of the futuristic dangers associated with advanced intelligence. Although that type of narrative seems like a relevant one to be told in the present time, one film undeniably does a much better job, causing the other to come across as a less-original clone. Unfortunately, not even the stunning stardom of Megan Fox could rival the impact that M3GAN had and still has on critics and audiences.
Release Date
July 19, 2024
Runtime
95 Minutes
Cast
Megan Fox
, Michele Morrone
, Madeline Zima
, Matilda Firth
, Andrew Whipp
, Jude Greenstein
, Atanas Srebrev
, Kate Nichols
, Trevor Van Uden
, Euan Macnaughton
, Max Kraus
, J.R. Esposito
, Doroteya Toleva
, Rosmary Yaneva
, Kexin Wang
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
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‘Subservience’ and ‘M3GAN’ Share a Similar Narrative
Both M3GAN and Subservience begin their storylines with characters either manufacturing or obtaining an AI robot that they intend to use to assist their respective families. Although the decision to adopt a robot into their lives begins innocently enough, things take a steep turn as the technology begins testing its owners’ boundaries in very concerning ways. M3GAN (voiced by Jenna Davis) begins by disobeying her commands and ultimately starts harming others as the film rockets viewers toward its ending. On the other hand, Alice (Megan Fox) begins by becoming infatuated with her owner, Nick (Michele Morrone), and ends the narrative by committing violent acts to keep him all to herself.
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This is where the films begin to differ, both in subject material as well as the audiences they are seeking to appeal to. M3GAN, while brutal and scary, managed to scrape by with a PG-13 rating, becoming a modern teen classic. Subservience, however, garnered an R rating for its erotic tone and sexual content surrounding the behavior between Alice and Nick. Although the motives behind the AI robots allow these two films to become more distinct from each other, it also causes Subservience to draw another stark parallel to a second critically acclaimed project, Ex-Machina, a 2014 film directed by Alex Garland. Another similarity that hurts the film’s ability to claim itself as unique within its genre.
Where ‘Subservience’ Fell Short
Considering an unimpressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 50% for both critics and audiences, it is clear that Subservience is failing in places where 93% critic-scoring M3GAN succeeded. The biggest complaint about the film is, unsurprisingly, its inability to put a spin on the classic AI-peril story. In a saturated genre market, movies attempting to make a place for themselves must carry some unique and alluring value. To most viewers, Subservience lacked this special quality, causing the film to feel like yet another generic robotic threat to a nuclear family.
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The film has also received backlash for other components, including various scenes containing sexual content that some felt was too heavy-handed and unnecessary for the advancement of the plot. Although Megan Fox’s acting has not been the focus of much of the criticism, many viewers also felt that the film’s other stars were impaired by a lack of direction. Lastly, many audience members have also noted that Subservience was predictable for them.
Where ‘M3GAN’ Succeeded
What made M3GAN stand out from the constantly flooding sea of AI-focused films? M3GAN succeeded through its precise inclusion of campy and ridiculous humor that ensured audiences would be engaged during the film and remember it afterward. It’s hard not to recall the well-dressed doll galloping through a forest on all fours chasing down a bratty child or dancing through a hallway to “Walk the Night” by Skatt Bros.
In addition, M3GAN is a horror movie that teens and adults can both enjoy due to its PG-13 rating. Although that rating can dissuade many hard-core horror fans, M3GAN still brought a lot of terrifying intensity to the table. Of course, M3GAN also wowed viewers with its combination of puppetry, child actors (Amie Donald), and VFX to create the memorable doll character. Finally, the entire cast, led by Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, was emotionally compelling to watch.
M3GAN continues its domination of the genre through its ingenious marketing strategies, ensuring it remains at the forefront of everyone’s minds in the near future. From the infamous hallway dance social media trend to costumed actors at theme parks, M3GAN proves that it will not fall out of relevance any time soon. In fact, audiences won’t have to wait much longer for more of the devilish doll as M3GAN 2.0 is set to release in theaters on June 27, 2025. This soon-to-be franchise continues to prove why it stands the test of time, something that Subservience will likely not accomplish. M3GAN is streaming on Starz. Subservience is streaming on Netflix.
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