Film Review: M3GAN 2.0

We all knew a sequel was coming for the hit slasher M3GAN back in 2022, and here it is - the suitably titled M3GAN 2.0. It's a sequel in all but genre, as I'm about to explain shortly.

For some background, M3GAN was about a robot doll who interpreted its programming a little (OK, a lot) too literally and ended up killing people in very gruesome ways. At the end of the movie, she was destroyed, but her digital consciousness escaped into the ether. I mean, this is the Internet age, amirite?

Suffice to say, the titular robot returns in this sequel, but how does it stack up against the original? Let's find out.

Warning - bitchy murderbots ahead!

And also spoilers. But yeah, the killer robots are the meat of this movie - and with them, violence and profanity.

The Premise

M3GAN, the homicidal robot doll, has resurfaced in this sequel. In an obvious nod to the classic Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the former villain of the previous movie comes back as an ally to the protagonists of the sequel, defending them against another homicidal robot doll. What ensues is a wacky action movie and good popcorn fun.

But anyone hoping for a creepy horror-fest like the last outing, is going to be sorely disappointed. Right from the get-go, the movie wastes no time establishing that it is now more of a guns-ablazing action comedy. Still campy, snarky fun, but with a 180-degree twist.

The Characters

Allison Williams returns as Gemma. I was happy to see her back, if just for the continuity. I found her bland and uninspiring, even more so than in the last movie, if that were even possible. Which is a tragedy because I think Williams can actually act.

Violet McGraw also returns as Cady. She's grown up, and now she knows Aikido. I liked her in the original, and I like her here. Now she's moved on beyond being an orphan and has become the typical angsty teenager. The character has more to do beyond moping and grieving, and even helps move the plot along.

Jenna Davis and Amie Donald are, once again, the voice and body of M3GAN, respectively. Except that Amie Donald has now grown several inches, so they make M3GAN demand to be made "taller". It's hilarious if you watched the original and know the background of the joke. Jenna Davis seems to be having a blast delivering M3GAN's biting wit and deadpan sarcasm.

Ivanna Sakhno as AMELIA, acronym for Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android, the other murderous robot doll. She brings heavy vibes of Kristianna Lokken from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, in demeanor. She does OK, but to be fair, all she really has do do in terms of personality is... actually, nothing. They could have just put a CGI face on AMELIA and it wouldn't have changed much. I mean, her role here is purely physical anyway, right?

Jermaine Clement has the role of Alton Appleton, a disabled tech millionaire who comes off as a elitist sleazeball. He delivered some great ableist dad jokes ("a man of my standing", heh heh). I was sad that they killed him off so soon.

Timm Sharp is FBI agent Tim Sattler, a douchebag who learns the hard way that he's in over his head. The script went out of its way to paint him as incompetent, self-important and just not at all likeable. Perhaps just to give the audience something to cheer about when he inevitably got his ass handed to him.

Aristotle Athari as Christian Bradley, Gemma's's milquetoast boyfriend who - surprise, surprise - turns out to be the big bad. Could they have found someone whose face screamed I'm the bad guy any louder? Somehow I doubt it.

Jen Van Epps plays Tess once more. She has even less to do than the last time, and I think it's a damn shame because she's so watchable.

Brian Jordan Alvarez comes back as Cole, and he has significantly more to contribute this time, with some physical presence in the plot. He remains largely part of the background, though.

Amy Usherwood as Lydia, the therapist. It's good that she was included for the sake of continuity. It's even better that her one scene was kept mercifully short, because she really got on my nerves the last time round.

The Mood

M3GAN was dark and sinister. In a departure from its tech slasher horror roots, M3GAN 2.0 is now a tech action thriller. It begins with a scene in the Middle East that wouldn't be out of place in a James Bond movie, and then continues gleefully in that same vein throughout the movie. It's loud, colorful and vulgar, and M3GAN is its potty-mouthed avatar.

What I liked

M3GAN is a delightful shit-talker. If there's any part of this sequel that reminded me of why I enjoyed its predecessor, it has to be this. M3GAN delivers absolute zingers, decimating egos and self-esteem with measured vitriol. She's no longer creepy and eerily calm and seems stuck in the savage verbal mode she was in at the tail end of the last movie, but I liked it. This movie really missed the presence of Ronny Chieng, whose character died in the last movie. It feels like M3GAN inherited his lines.

This line, for instance.

Hold on to your vaginas!

The jokes landed, for the most part. The scenes of M3GAN's exasperation at getting stuck in the body of a Teletubby doll, were hilarious. M3GAN is getting increasingly humanized in this one, and I am here for it! There's also this part where AMELIA snaps a guy's neck and the camera immediately cuts to Breaking News on the TV. Absolutely hysterical.

AMELIA was fun to watch. I loved the scenes of her crawling down a pipe in the background, creeping out of a suitcase, and her murder sprees. Unlike most action flicks where you see a tiny girl beat up a team of trained henchmen twice her size, I didn't have to strain too hard to justify the sight to myself. We are talking about a robot with a metal skeleton here.

The previous Aesop is still in force - parents should be wary of leaving the parenting to tech devices. Though, this time, they've expanded it to responsible usage of A.I, or something to that effect, instead of summarily dismissing A.I as "good" or "bad". Interesting, but maybe a movie as obviously ridiculous as M3GAN 2.0 wasn't the best medium for it?

What I didn't

M3GAN broke out into song just like the last time, but this time I wasn't feeling it. This just felt like a waste of time.

This movie went on for two hours. Was there really that much content? The plot was way too convoluted, what with The Motherboard and shit. Trimming all this fat from the movie would have resulted in a leaner one with more time to spend on stuff that really mattered. Speaking of superfluous things, the gag of how Christian's name is pronounced, was silly, lame, and got too much air-time. Leaving it out altogether would have done this movie good.

I'm on the fence about the genre shift. It's always a huge gamble. Films like Happy Death Day and its sequel Happy Death Day 2U managed to make the switch from slasher to another genre (in this case, science-fiction) and not suck too much, but it's unreasonable to expect the same (questionable) success every time.

As clever as the movie tried to be with its plot twists, it was just as predictable as the last one. Lucky no one watches these movies for cleverness. Stick to your strengths, eh?

Conclusion

This was OK-ish. M3GAN 2.0 was a fun ride for the most part. But I will confess to feeling let down, because what originally attracted me to M3GAN was the slasher concept. As a consequence, I did not enjoy myself as much as I did watching the original.

Was it worth the watch though? Very much so, especially if you watched the original, and kept your expectations realistic. Exceedingly rare is the movie sequel that surpasses its predecessor. M3GAN 2.0 is not in the hallowed company of films like Terminator 2: Judgement Day and John Wick: Chapter 4, and no one should expect it to be.

I did want a sequel to M3GAN. I'm just not sure if I wanted this sequel.

My Rating

6.5 / 10

This was kind of m3h,
T___T