In 2022, most people have some element of a smart house in their home, whether it's a virtual assistant or smart electronics. But what if there was a whole house made up of smart tech and 3D printed elements inside that heeded to your every whim? And what if, for some reason, it wanted to kill you? That's the plot of Margaux, a film that has an incredibly interesting concept, with an execution that falls fatally flat.
In Margaux, a group of smart college kids head out on break with each other at a smart house, whose AI is named Margaux. Each room caters to their favorite things: social media, food, and there's even a room dedicated to sexual experimentation. For some context, in the opening scene of the movie, a couple were going to use out hollowed oranges for sexual purposes. When they finally settle down in their room in Margaux, there is a plate of hallowed-oranges waiting for them--for sexing, apparently. It may be the funniest thing committed to film in decades. There is also Hannah, who has no social media and refuses to download the Margaux app to her phone. After meeting the characters, it becomes very obvious how each story for each of them will play out because you've seen this movie before.
After all, they play heavily into horror stereotypes most will know all too well: the horny couple, the woman too good for everyone else, the stoner, and the girl who seems meek but is smarter than the rest of the gang. What's more, the story is set up in a way that's overly familiar: a group of friends are going on vacation, what could possibly go wrong?
That familiarity is typically a way to subvert expectations for the audience to get scares or talking points or something exciting, but Margaux never really "goes for it." It's an exceptionally paint-by-numbers story for a horror movie, which is a huge bummer for a concept that's really relevant and eye-catching.
The Margaux in question is the murderhouse and, at one point, it dives into something you can see coming a mile away--the house has a ton of 3D printers, so you can put two-and-two together--but it never fully realizes how good this concept can be. It goes back to those very familiar and safe tropes, instead of treading new and interesting ground. Why explore anything deeper when you can cut back to the guy who loves to eat and 3D print some weed for him? And there are so many questions about the creation and consumption of 3D printed weed that is not only combustible but won't kill you that the characters don't bother asking--the same goes along with the 3D printed food everyone eats, by the way.
The "go with the flow" attitude of these characters is exceptionally frustrating, especially early on. In every horror movie, there are one of two things happening: either a slow build towards a point where the characters decide their safety is compromised and they need to leave or a nonstop onslaught of terror that is inescapable. Margaux kind of attempts to do both. Early on, one character's safety is compromised, but they survive, and no one questions their own safety. They just go to bed like nothing has happened. A smart house tries to murder someone--complete with dialogue from Margaux about doing this deed--and the general reaction is "Let's go to bed. I can't wait to see what 3D printed plastic the smart house cooks for breakfast." It is a wildly bizarre choice by these college students who most of them (all but one) are set up as very intelligent people.
There are a few really fun deaths within the movie. The opening scene, for instance, features the most memorable kill of the entire film (it's very inventive). And most of the kills in this movie are fairly inventive and fun. We're not getting Final Destination or Escape Room levels of inventiveness, but there's enough of something new happening here to keep you invested, even if Margaux isn't exactly a stellar film.
However, things get a bit worse when robotic arms come into play because the CG looks very rough and awkwardly out of place. Their movement feels very janky and startling. Luckily, the scenes with practical effects are much better.
The voice chosen for Margaux and the dialogue for that character is easily the best and most interesting part of the movie, though certainly not for the intended reasons. Much like the "Hello fellow kids" Steve Buscemi meme, Margaux's dialogue is super try-hard, and without fail, feels like it just doesn't connect with these 20-something vacationers. It comes off very awkward at first, but as the film moves forward, it becomes the best thing about it.
Margaux ends up being frustrating because there is so much potential for something here that isn't your typical slasher movie--where the slasher is a deranged killer whose reason for killing is paper thin at best. It's a movie you're really rooting for that lets you down time and time again. It's a rated-R version of Escape Room but stripped down to its bare bones where it's just the deaths, and that simply doesn't work.
