SOULM8TE Review: A Sad but Worthwhile Expansion of the M3GAN Universe

SOULM8TE is a nice watch, but it is also a surprisingly sad one.

Set within the world of M3GAN, the new Blumhouse and Atomic Monster spinoff takes the franchise’s familiar ideas surrounding artificial intelligence and explores them through grief, loneliness, companionship, and the dangerous desire to manufacture a replacement for genuine human connection.

Directed by Kate Dolan, the film follows a grieving engineer who is tasked with testing a new artificial-intelligence companion after a powerful technology company acquires his business. His efforts to transform the android into a truly sentient soulmate soon create consequences that neither of them can completely control.

One of my biggest questions going into SOULM8TE was whether it could successfully stand on its own while still feeling like a meaningful part of the M3GAN universe. For me, it largely succeeds.

The film does not need to place M3GAN herself at the center of everything. Instead, it uses the same universe to approach artificial intelligence from another perspective. This is a more personal and emotionally painful story about someone attempting to fill the emptiness left behind by loss.

That sadness remained with me after the movie ended.

Underneath the technology, horror, and mayhem is a story about people who desperately want to feel understood. The film examines what might happen when technology is asked to provide something as complicated as love, comfort, or emotional intimacy. A machine may be programmed to behave like a perfect companion, but human emotions have never followed a perfect set of instructions.

I also genuinely wish SOULM8TE had received a proper theatrical release.

While watching it digitally was convenient, I believe the movie could have found an audience on the big screen, especially among fans of Blumhouse, M3GAN, and technology-driven horror. Some movies grow through the shared experience of watching them with a crowd, and I would have liked to see this film receive that opportunity.

There is something unfortunate about a new installment in a developing horror universe arriving so quietly. SOULM8TE may not be the largest event in the franchise, but it still deserved the chance to establish its own identity in theaters.

The digital release does not erase the film’s value, however.

I enjoyed seeing this universe move in a different direction. The future of the franchise should not depend exclusively on repeating the same story or placing M3GAN into every situation. There is room for additional characters, machines, relationships, and cautionary stories about the growing connection between humanity and artificial intelligence.

That is what makes the potential future of this universe exciting.

I have enjoyed what the previous M3GAN films established, and SOULM8TE demonstrates that this world can support stories beyond its original central character. It expands the universe without completely abandoning the ideas that made it interesting in the first place.

Ultimately, SOULM8TE is an emotional, sad, and worthwhile spinoff. I enjoyed watching it, although I remain disappointed that it was not given a real opportunity on the big screen.

I sincerely hope this is not the end of the road. I still believe in the potential of the M3GAN universe, and I would like to see Blumhouse and Atomic Monster continue developing it in thoughtful and unexpected ways.

For now, SOULM8TE is a solid addition to that universe and one that deserved a little more attention than it received.

Final Verdict: Recommended. A nice and unexpectedly moving watch that expands the M3GAN universe while leaving me hopeful for its future.