M3GAN 2.0 – Review

Robots are the stuff of science fiction, but add a killer to it, and that’s where the nightmare begins. For every Data, there’s a Lore, and few have achieved the sense of greatness targeted by the greatest anti-heroic artificial life form, the T-800 from the Terminator franchise.

Even though its concept is undoubtedly entertaining, it’s one that’s been done to death in the genre, owing to films and TV series like Westworld, Ex Machina, iRobot, and more so where did director Gerard Johnstone’s (Housebound) 2023 horror slasher M3GAN stand in such a crowded genre? On the surface, it seemed like any other generic killer robot movie… until M3GAN started dancing. That one iconic scene alone proved one thing the movie had that the genre never knew it needed – a healthy dose of sass. 

And it’s this very aspect that Johnstone is doubling down on with his sequel, M3GAN 2.0, which pivots completely from the horror genre into a straight-up sci-Fi action flick, and although this isn’t the upgrade the franchise is hoping for, there’s still decent fun to be had, if you don’t think too deeply about its narrative.

Set two years after the events of the first film, Gemma (Allison Williams, Get Out) and Cady (Violet McGraw, Separation) are still recovering from the devastation caused by M3GAN, the artificial life in the body of a doll turned rampaging killer, but are trying to cope with the scars in their own way, with the former becoming an advocate against AI and the latter developing an interest in robotics despite the circumstances.

Of course, as alluded to in the final scene of the first film, M3GAN is still very much alive and has uploaded herself into Gemma’s home network. An initial home invasion by the FBI forces M3GAN to reveal herself to Gemma, following which the pair learn of an even greater threat, a rogue military robot, AMELIA (Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android).

It turns out that someone had stolen the original plans used to create M3GAN and developed a new ultimate killer android. After becoming self-aware on her first field mission, AMELIA turns on her creators, carving out a bloody trail to eliminate all who had a hand in her creation, Gemma included, with the ultimate goal of retrieving a motherboard containing a powerful AI in order to take over the world. Gemma, Cady, and M3GAN must now put aside their differences and form an uneasy alliance to take down AMELIA, all while trying not to kill each other in the process.

If all this sounds nothing like the first movie, you’d be absolutely right, as the film has completely disregarded its horror roots for cheesy, mindless action. While this shift admittedly fits better with its overall narrative, it unfortunately brings some negative genre tropes with it, such as an overly complex yet utterly nonsensical plot, backed by laughably poor decision-making by its supporting characters, like a room full of supposedly some to be the “brightest minds of the nation”, who decide for some reason that the best place to put a potentially deranged android is in the very same building used to house the doomsday AI motherboard.

At least the film still retains what made the franchise so special to begin with, which is pretty much the only thing going for this sequel – M3GAN’s sassy attitude. The android, played by returning duo Amie Donald (physical portrayal) and Jenna Davis (voice), remains the best part of the movie, balancing spouting witty remarks in her trademark robotic voice with intense bouts of acrobatic violence. M3GAN’s redemption arc is also a nice touch, making her easy to root for despite her murderous tendencies, although the film does progress a little too quickly to really flesh out her character.

The same can’t be said for AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno, Pacific Rim Uprising), though, as despite supposedly being an ultimate killer android, she just ends up feeling like an ordinary human being, just one that’s really good at taking lives. Perhaps it’s because AMELIA doesn’t move in the same creepy robotic nature as M3GAN, or that she speaks in a normal human voice, which admittedly does make sense due to her design as an infiltration unit, but it’s still disappointing to see such a stark disparity between the two, especially considering how well the franchise has handled M3GAN.

Another thing returning fans will immediately notice is how toned down the violence is this time around. Gone are the visceral ear-ripping and blades through chests, replaced by quick cuts away from the actual gore, with only a mere blood spatter to imply the damage done. This could just be the result of the film’s PG-13 theatrical release, with the original 2023 film receiving an Unrated cut after release that uncensored its kills, so M3GAN 2.0 could very well do the same down the line.

Flaws aside, M3GAN 2.0 revels in its many action sequences, which come to an intense climax in its final act, which sees the two androids go head to head in a violent melee, a satisfying scene of wanton destruction that even sees Gemma getting in on the action too, a rewarding payoff to witness considering how much the character has gone through throughout two movies.

To judge M3GAN 2.0 as a horror movie would be doing it a disservice, as that simply isn’t what the movie is trying to be. Yet, this is nowhere near being a sci-Fi either, and the sequel seems to be stuck in some upgrade loop where it cannot move forward nor go back to its original programming. This is a film designed to let fans witness how badass M3GAN can be, even with its nonsensical plot and meagre attempts at character development.

At the end of the day, not every movie has to be a thoughtful insight piece into the state of the world and human emotion; sometimes, we just want to watch two sassy killer robots beat the absolute living daylights out of each other.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.