M3GAN 2.0 Review: An Ambitious and Spectacular Sequel Beauty and Chaos in the Age of AI?

M3GAN 2.0, directed and written by Gerard Johnstone, is a sequel that seeks to turn a horror phenomenon into an action sci-fi saga, a la Terminator. The problem? In this update operation, the film seems to have lost the heart (and cynicism) that had made the first film so enjoyably sick. After the viral success of M3GAN in 2023, Blumhouse returns to playing with AI, but this time is aiming high: more action, more special effects, more awareness. The arrival on the big screen of M3GAN certainly aroused the attention of the general public some time ago, attracting with the black soul of a classic horror film, and then leading to a bloody story, but at the same time, it reflected on some central elements in the technological contemporaneity of the era. Terror, but also immortal iconicity, in some way, and narrative recognizability inside and outside cinematic fiction. M3GAN 2.0, a sequel to the first film, tries to take back what was left from the first chapter, taking everything to the next level (for more information on the first chapter, we refer you to our M3GAN review).

The fear of many, even of the writer, was therefore to find themselves faced with yet another franchise destroyed by the realization of its identity in the pop culture that was born and grew on the Internet and online social media. Fortunately, however, the main person responsible for M3GAN’s return, the screenwriter and director Gerard Johnstone, he kept the bar straight, avoiding distorting the character too much, giving himself the space needed to celebrate M3GAN’s success inside and outside the narrative universe in which he moves, but without getting too carried away. Indeed, while borrowing the main idea from a film so famous in developing it that it has become a cinematic topos, M3GAN is not afraid to remain a light, irreverent film. Which is ideal for a character always in the camp zone, a concept that presupposes great seriousness and unawareness in breaking through the wall of excess and ridicule. M3GAN is no longer unaware, but she doesn’t march, and we are very grateful for this.

M3GAN 2.0 Review: The Story Plot

Events at the center of M3GAN 2.0, they find the protagonists we know two years after the previous film. While the echo of the horror and violence unleashed in the past by the doll still echoes in the lives of those involved – and those interested in technology in general – Gemma (played by Allison Williams) has managed to achieve success through writing, becoming increasingly central in reflections relating to the current technological leap, AI and its possible regulation by the most competent social forces. At the same time, little Cady – her niece, now grown up (played by Violet McGraw) – has now reached adolescence, demonstrating a particular attachment to her aunt’s work environment and a series of unresolved issues with what she has experienced in the past, or any case, questions in this sense. It seems that the events of these two with M3GAN, however, are not yet completely over. Someone took possession of the doll’s plans behind their backs, to create something new and equally dangerous, which no one-or almost no one-could ever hope to put in the works.

The major narrative debt of M3GAN 2.0 is that with Terminator 2, from which it takes its starting point, i.e., transforming the super villain of chapter one into a reluctant ally of the human characters to cope with an android even more powerful, destructive, and detached than her. Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno) is a military robot built from the specifications that roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) had attempted to destroy at the end of the first film, after realizing the destroyed potential of M3GAN, who has meanwhile been left without a body. The US military turned the sentient children’s doll into a military asset and, predictably, it got out of their control, starting to kill those who had dealt with the development and design of M3GAN. Next on the death list is Gemma, now struggling with fourteen-year-old granddaughter Cady (Violet McGraw), who demonstrates the same aptitude towards STEM sciences but is less inclined to passively accept his guidance.

However, the scene is almost entirely for M3GAN, who continues his process of development and redemption. Still stinging but less prone to slaughtering every human who equals her and her target, M3GAN once again finds himself confronting and teasing his creator, Gemma, and not just about what to do to keep Cady safe. What M3GAN 2.0 does best, in addition to maintaining a loose approach, a crisp tone, and a fairly fast pace, is maintaining this dialectical duel between the two strong and very biting women of its franchise. If the whole narrative construction of starting the film is sometimes a little’ silly, ‘ it seems almost impossible to see a commercial film with members of the police or FBI who aren’t specks or complete idiots these days – in the second part, we touch on more interesting questions.

M3GAN 2.0 Review and Analysis

M3GAN 2.0 is extremely aware of its identity and of the public interested in following its exploits on the big screen, to the point that this general “upgrade” does not only concern the robotic protagonist at the center of the story, but the entire narrative apparatus of a story that has practically nothing, or almost nothing, to do with the horror genre anymore. Writing, in this case, focuses everything on general expansion, on enlarging something that lends itself well to experiments of this type. In M3GAN 2.0, everything is more exaggerated, deliberately enlarged, but also, and in some way, light, almost parodic in a certain sense. Lightness and a certain type of humor carry forward the intentions of a story, which, going beyond the various references to science fiction and robotic cinema, remains interesting about the historical period to which it relates. The film has two rather clear faces: one connected again to reflections on current technology and AI, on something that today is both studied in depth and exploited and feared, and demonized; and a more playful and unexpected one, in which everything returns to the lightest and simplest entertainment, accessible to all.

Proceeding in the game are some of the most hilarious moments in a feature film where the general violence is further sweetened, in favor of a narrative where easy jokes take the place of past tension. The original spirit, however, remains unharmed in M3GAN 2.0, further pushing on a cinematic imagery that appears more multifaceted, welcoming elements of action cinema, science fiction, and spy stories, without ever delving into much more. The attitude to dark humor takes over everything else, dragging the story into difficulty to predict, except for the ending, unfortunately. M3GAN 2.0 not only does it evolve, therefore, but it renews itself by taking what it has earned and obtained in the past, and then bringing its key elements back into a story that, on the one hand, never seems to take itself too seriously, while, on the other, he constantly and again questions some fundamental events in the present beyond fiction on the screen.

Not an impeccable film, on the contrary, far from it, but still an experience that seems to know its audience well and not be afraid to launch into a continuous game with them, made up of postponements and returns. Everything runs in M3GAN 2.0, finding new life in a rather simple work in formal terms, which focuses entirely on fun and entertainment, even unsettling at certain times. Thus, the brutal violence of a robotic killer doll, but also an immediate diva and icon, is connected with an even bigger story, made up of action moments, military secrets, infiltrations, martial clashes, and an underlying ease that is not always too reasoned. It is a source of guilty pleasure which was included in the script without distorting its objective; therefore, tasty to enjoy if you can recognize them, but not invasive. Because also this second chapter was created by Johnstone with undoubted competence, demonstrating that we can change course, maintaining an always intriguing franchise. M3GAN 2.0 starts as a rather intriguing spy-thriller, immediately making the viewer understand that they mean it, exploring territories other than the horror/action of the previous one, for then continues on a lively tone that offers well-orchestrated cinematic moments.

Of course, there is no tension proper to the horror film, but this gap is compensated by a show that has the necessary narrative feel to always keep the level of attention high, when not with action through moments of mild effectiveness. The only obvious flaw of M3GAN 2.0 lies in an ending that, as almost always happens in entertainment cinema, wants to put too many irons in the fire to guarantee the public a pyrotechnic show, even when there wouldn’t be a need. And so here is that I twists, tight editing, fight scenes lose a po’ of that cinephile taste and that mocking comedy tone that the film had explored successfully before. M3GAN 2.0 closes in a much more conventional way than how it had begun, and this also affects, all in all, not in a way decisive on the final result. As for the cast of actors, as already mentioned, the supporting actors intended to guarantee the right amount of irony turns out to be more exciting than main actors, especially one Alison Williams strangely less effective than in the past, in a couple of scenes even “dazed” (pass us the joke).

Even the new “villain” Ivanna Sakhno (Ahsoka on Disney+) has stage presence, but not yet the skills of an actress necessary to instill in the character of Amelia that aura of danger that would improve his scenes. It doesn’t matter, in complex M3GAN 2.0, it is an entertainment film that dares to try new paths compared to its predecessor and succeeds with the aim of offering something new, at times fresh, without doubt conceived with intelligence and functionality with respect to the productive means available. Sequel promoted, if not with flying colors, certainly with merit. If M3GAN is a twisted diva, full of sarcasm and bittersweet jokes, AMELIA is its glacial opposite. Inspired by the cyborgs of 90s films, it is a perfect killing machine, but completely devoid of personality. Played by Ivanna Sakhno, AMELIA is a concrete but forgettable threat, a catalog of video game skills (climbing walls, detaching heads, neutralizing special teams) which, however never leaves a real mark. Its presence, although central, cannot replace the ambiguous charm that has made M3GAN a true icon of the new pop horror.

The bond between Gemma and her niece Cady, already at the center of the first film, is still present but less incisive. Cady has grown up, developed a technological consciousness of her own, and clashes with the anti-AI activist Gemma, who has written a book on the moderate use of technology. It’s a shame that this conflict, which could have been emotionally strong and current, is being sacrificed in favor of an increasingly chaotic narrative. The script crowds the film with subplots: experimental exosuits, suspicious lovers, empowering neurochips, and even a secret project from the 1980s kept in a military bunker. Lots of irons in the fire, but little room for true narrative tension. M3GAN 2.0 wants to be many things together: a reflection on AI regulation, a Mission: Impossible-style action film, a big tech satire, a queer camp comedy, a family drama. And its main limit lies precisely in this boundless ambition. The film struggles to find a coherent tone, oscillating between extremely serious moments and exaggerated gags, between spectacular slow motions and grotesque quotes (there is even a scene dedicated to Steven Seagal!).

The general feeling is that of a patchwork script that would have benefited from greater editorial control. Even as M3GAN 2.0 moves away from pure horror, the robotic protagonist retains a spark of that edgy cynicism that had made her a cult figure. Playing her is again Amie Donald for the body and Jenna Davis for the voice, and it is thanks to them that M3GAN does not completely lose its luster. From the line “I was a kid when I did that” (in response to the murder allegations) to the scene where Kate Bush sings This Woman’s Work, M3GAN remains the only element that manages to hold the film together, even when everything around it becomes confusing and redundant. On a technical level, the film is impeccable: curated photography (thanks to Toby Oliver), convincing visual effects, and some well-choreographed action sequences, like the one at the AI convention, where M3GAN enters the scene disguised as a Japanese android in a futuristic dress and cyber-diva look.

But spectacularity is not enough to mask a fluctuating rhythm and a writing that takes itself too seriously. Humor only works at times, and horror scenes –now rare – seem inserted out of duty, not out of real narrative need. M3GAN 2.0 is not a disaster, but it is a film that pays the brunt of its success. In an attempt to turn an ironic cult into an epic saga, it loses some of its uniqueness. The hope is that a possible M3GAN 3.0 will find the courage to return to its roots: more wickedness, more irony, fewer sermons, and less tangled plot. M3GAN works when it is disturbing, ambiguous, and unpredictable. Not when he becomes just another world-saving android.

The history of cinema is chock-full of sequels that, in one way or another, have overturned the perception of the filmic object compared to its predecessor. Works whose result has strongly divided critics and audiences between those who shouted at the masterpiece and those who, instead (much more often), shouted at the betrayal. To stay on the horror theme, sequels like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Gremlins 2, for example, turned the expectations of their respective fan groups like a sock, consolidating over the years as two ramshackle and tremendously entertaining comedies that have stood the test of time. Here, M3GAN 2.0 moves right there, in that narrative terrain, with Johnstone choosing to almost completely dry the horror component from The Postmodern Killer Doll to channel the story into the tracks of black comedy, self-deprecating path, camp, and great action moments where the laughter is breathtaking with the belly and the choreography.

New narrative tones and flavors at the service of a story that sees the iconic M3GAN evolve from lethal villain to even more lethal heroin. Anything to protect Gemma and Cody from the clutches of AMELIA, in a character evolution avowedly inspired by that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 between 1984 of Terminator and 1991 of T2 – Judgment Day. M3GAN 2.0 builds around itself an adrenaline-filled action that tells of our difficult relevance, between the increasingly invasive incursions of Artificial Intelligence in the technological and creative fields, and Iranian nuclear sites swept away by the timely intervention of the American Government. But it also offers an important space to women inventors and traitorous men, hilarious musical moments worthy of a Frozen parody, and bodies used as tools. It doesn’t matter if at a certain point, the good Johnstone seems to be having so much fun that he has a hard time letting him go between changes of front, surprising turns, and unexpected evolutions. What matters to us is knowing that M3GAN is back and that we will hardly be able to do without it from now on, even in these new and unexpected comedy guises.

M3GAN 2.0 Review: The Last Words

M3GAN 2.0 is a sequel that dares, and for this reason, it will certainly be divisive. He is not content to repeat the formula of the first film, but changes and expands it, creating a work that moves between horror, social satire, action, and political reflection. The result is a postmodern film, which plays with genres and overturns them, while remaining accessible and enjoyable even for a less attentive audience. M3GAN 2.0 is a real virus in the patriarchal system of Silicon Valley. M3GAN 2.0 tries to evolve in an action-satirical key, but loses the effective simplicity and evil charm of the first film. Between successful moments and others that are too serious, the sequel is visually refined but narratively flooded. M3GAN remains the only real reason it’s worth upgrading.

Cast: Violet McGraw, Allison Williams

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Where to Watch: In Theaters

Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars)