I understand why Akela Cooper (the screenwriter for M3GAN) first wrote it for the R rating. It would have been fine as an R-rated movie, too. But it might not have been as accessible for teens that way, and that movie apparently was getting a lot of teen interest*.
Cooper is pretty philosophical about things: “No shade to Universal, love them, and I understand that once the trailer went viral, teenagers got involved and you want them to be able to see it.” It’s not like they butchered her script, just let a few people live and cut away quicker**. End result? The critics still loved it and it’s already made its money back in the first weekend. They’re probably greenlighting M3GAN for a sequel, even as we speak. That kind of success can buy a decent amount of equanimity.
Moe Lane
*My own older teenager certainly approved.
*Besides, Cooper’s also hinting that an unrated version is in the works.
Meh, I’ve never been a fan of the Frankenstein story, and the “robot turns out to be a monster” trope was cliche when Asimov was getting his start as a writer.
But I guess that’s why you want to appeal to people young enough not to have seen that one Twilight Zone episode
Cutting away a bit quicker is generally a good thing, anyway.
Leatherface slamming the door is iconic for a frelling reason.
Jaws would have been much less effective if we’d have spent much time looking at the mechanical shark.
“Gross” can spill over into horror, but mostly, it’s just revulsion.