Now Streaming: M3GAN UNRATED, Unleashed, Undaunted, Unstoppable

"This is the part where you run."

M3GAN
Both the original theatrical release version and the unrated version are now streaming exclusively on Peacock TV in the U.S. It is currently available for purchase via various Video On Demand platforms, and will be released March 21 on Blu-ray.

Our own Shelagh Rowan-Legg concluded her original review by writing: "M3GAN is pretty much the perfect sci fi-horror-action film to kick off a new year. Good for both the adult and teenage crowd, with a relatable subject, engaging characters, exploring our fears of the old (dolls) and the new (invasive technology), with the perfect blend of scares and dark laughs to keep the audience on the proverbial edge of their seats."

Based on this review -- and my past admiration for Gerard Johnstone's work -- I paid to see it in a movie theater on opening night, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Now that the film has arrived on the Peacock TV streaming service -- only available in the U.S. right now, unfortunately -- I was late to realize that an unrated edition is streaming, alongside the theatrical-release version.

The unrated edition looks and sounds very, very good in 4K, so I enjoyed that aspect as much as I admired how the filmmakers navigated the twists and twists of the story. The unrated edition includes a few more "f-words," but what really jumped out at me were the additional spurts of blood and more explicitly violent wounds, which occur in several scenes.

Adding to the cumulative intensity of the movie, the most brutal violence is primarily targeted at non-heroic characters who are hurting or threatening Cady (Violet McGraw), the grieving young girl who is still recovering from the tragic loss of her parents. The theatrical-release version played very well without the trimmed profanities and more explicit violence, so it really does feel like you can't go wrong with either edition.

Personally, I subscribe to the ad-supported version of the streaming service, which requires me to watch up to three minutes of advertising before the movie begins. Comparable to a pre-show in a movie theater, I had no problem with sitting through a little advertising, which enabled me to watch the entire movie ad-free. I paused the film once, which prompted an advertisement to appear as a screen-saver, but once I pressed play to resume the movie, the ad disappeared. So, a very satisfying experience.

By the way, in the U.S., the film was released with a PG-13 rating, which means, per the Motion Picture Association:

"PG-13 - Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.

"A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category.

"The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence.

"A motion picture's single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous."

Now Streaming covers international and indie genre films and TV shows that are available on legal streaming services.