M3GAN 2.0 is an exhausting misstep; a bloated, horror-stripped action sequel that overestimates its charm and often reminds you of much better films. Let’s just say, Blumhouse needs its own Judgment Day.
Iconic movies established the horror-to-action pathway; Alien to Aliens, The Terminator to T2. So, it’s understandable why the makers of M3GAN, a popular ‘chiller’ about a killer doll, wanted to up the ante with the same trajectory.
There’s just one problem (well, there are loads, but this is the main one): the first film wasn’t scary, suffering from PG-13itis (softcore violence, cheap scares) and being a little too high on its own supply. And, yet, it was still pretty entertaining and funny – the question is, how much mileage was left in a yassified Chucky?
Not much, if M3GAN 2.0 is the answer. Though not completely without merit, this is a tiresome follow-up that’s hard to recommend to any side of the audience. It’s hard to imagine anyone not feeling even a little disappointed.
What is M3GAN 2.0 about?
After a new AI robot – AMELIA (don’t ask me what it stands for, I can’t remember), played by Ahsoka’s Ivanna Sakhno – goes rogue and starts eliminating loose ends, the US government believe Gemma (Allison Williams) may be responsible.
Except… she isn’t. Ever since M3GAN tried to kill her, she’s become more of a regulator than an innovator, pushing for artificial intelligence reform and advocating for more control and moderation over technology. “You wouldn’t give your child cocaine, why would you give them a smartphone?” she asks in one scene, earning a rare laugh.
(Ironically, M3GAN 2.0 is one of the most dual-screen-worthy movies in recent memory; perfect for tune-in-tune-out amusement until you decide to lock in and endure it.)
Unfortunately for Gemma, she’s next on AMELIA’s hit list, and on Cady’s (Violet McGraw) advice, she turns to an unlikely ally for help: M3GAN.
M3GAN 2.0 is bonkers but boring
Credit where due, M3GAN 2.0 has some absurd flourishes; for example, Jemaine Clement plays a “philanthrocapitalist” named Alton Appleton, who’s like a pompous blend of Professor X and Justin Hammer ripped from a Garth Marenghi set. There’s also an almighty MacGuffin called ‘Project Black Box’, a singing scene (that seems to sample N-Trance’s ‘Set You Free’), and a dance sequence at an AI convention.
Unfortunately, it all struggles to overpower the overwhelming indifference from the rest of the film; if anything, it’s guilty of trying a bit too hard.
Gerard Johnstone, both in his capacity as director and screenwriter, is clearly a big fan of Terminator 2 and Upgrade; the story is an echo of the former, which happens to be one of the best action movies of all time, and it borrows a big plot detail from the latter (not to mention one of Leigh Whannell and Stefan Duscio’s signature camera moves in one action scene).
Rationally speaking, it obviously comes from reverence and Johnstone just isn’t as capable or impressionable a director as his forebearers, but there’s an unavoidable criticism to be made: if you fed all of his influences into AI and asked it to spit something out, this is what you could get.
When the movie isn’t yada-yada’ing its way through its obscene runtime – seriously, why is this two hours long? – there are amusing moments and lines, like M3GAN describing people doing the robot as “borderline offensive.”
However, for the most part, it makes your eyes roll (like M3GAN saying, “Hold onto your vaginas”). It’s also kind of a pro-AI psyop and there are way too many Steven Seagal references, so there’s that.
One star is innocent in M3GAN 2.0
Sakhno, who was a scene-stealer in Ahsoka, has very little to work with – but she’s the strongest performer in the cast, striking and intimidating in and away from violence. If nothing else (but hopefully there will be more than this), she’s a strong candidate for a role in the John Wick franchise.
Everyone else… at best, they’re fine to the point their performances will fade from your memory as soon as the credits roll. At worst, they’re awful – and this is a new low for Williams, an otherwise talented actress who looks bored or on the verge of laughter in nearly every scene, making no effort to elevate a tired screenplay or carry the film.
It’s adequately shot by Toby Oliver (Get Out and Barb and Star Go to the Vista Del Mar), and it stands apart from its sludgier contemporaries with vibrant lighting and colors. The score (composed by Chris Bacon) is so indistinct you probably won’t even register that it’s there at all.
Unlike Malignant (penned by Akela Cooper, who gets a story credit here), which was so campy and earnestly ludicrous that you laughed at it and with it, the M3GAN sequel never takes itself seriously enough to trick you into thinking any of it carries any weight.
M3GAN 2.0 score: 2/5
Despite its title, M3GAN 2.0 is a downgrade; a goofy, bombastic, and derivative sequel destined to be shrugged off and forgotten.
Apparently, a spinoff called SOULM8TE is coming out next year – maybe it’ll be good, or maybe someone needs to hit the self-destruct button before this joins the depths of other bargain bin franchises.
People on TikTok are eating raw onions and arguing over who did it first