How different is the unrated version of M3GAN from the theatrical cut? Honestly, not extremely. But if you liked the original, you’ll love the extra blood—and, in multiple cases, detaching skin!
Whenever an unrated cut for a horror film appears, the question becomes how much new material there will be—and how much more blood. When M3GAN debuted, screenwriter Akela Cooper told the Los Angeles Times that her original script was “way gorier” than what we saw on screen. When the trailer went viral on TikTok, it seemed Universal wanted a cut that teenagers could see.
“There should be an unrated version at some point… I heard it is on the books,” Cooper told the Times. She added that in her script, M3GAN kills more people than we see in the movie. “It wasn’t a Gabriel [in Malignant]-scale massacre, but she did kill a bunch more people.”
Indeed, there is no massacre in Peacock’s new, unrated cut; those tuning in for major, explosive changes or new kills will likely be disappointed. In fact, if you aren’t paying attention, you might even miss some of the differences. A lot of them are subtle—a bit more blood here, a few extra frames there, and an extra few “fucks” on top. And while “unrated cut” might suggest we’re getting more material, multiple critics have noted that the unrated version is almost the same length as the original. Somehow, it’s actually 5 seconds shorter.) That said, the new additions are all good, gory (if fleeting) fun.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
The first tweak comes when M3GAN rips that bully’s ear off before chasing him down a hill on all fours. This was already pretty gnarly in the original, which showed us the poor kid’s ear stretching. In the new version, however, we watch it stretch just a little more—and we get a good look at the bloody mess on the side of his head once M3GAN snaps it off.
Next up, there’s Allison Williams’ pesky neighbor, Celia. Thankfully, we do not see any more of M3GAN killing her dog than we did in the original. Sadly, Celia does not get the same mercy; in the scene where M3GAN pressure washes her face off, the unrated version shows the skin on her cheek flying clean off. Not the kind of facial anyone wants!
M3GAN’s viral dance scene also gets a slight make-over in the unrated version. While her routine chasing Ronny Chieng’s character, David, down the hall stays the same, we also see more of his death as she stabs through his chest with a giant paper cutter. This time, we watch the weapon come out the other side, as a giant splash of blood hits poor Kurt (Stephan Garneau-Monten).
And then, in perhaps the biggest change in the entire cut, poor Kurt bites it a little harder: We watch M3GAN slit his throat, as blood spurts out like a geyser.
There’s a little more cursing in the unrated version, most notably another “fuck” as M3GAN threatens Allison Williams’ Aunt Gemma to keep her niece out of the room toward the end of the film. In the original, the doll growls, “If she comes in this room, I’ll rip your head right off your neck, I swear to god.” In the unrated version, that becomes “right off your fucking neck.”
This unrated version might not be game-changing, and yes, it might mostly be a cash (or, really, subscriber) grab for Peacock. For those of us who loved M3GAN, however, a little extra gore never hurt. As far as many are concerned, this unrated cut will likely become the cut. And as for anyone who doesn’t like it? Don’t worry about hurting M3GAN’s feelings—after her miraculous box office run earlier this year, she’s basically titanium.
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