Before the film was even released, M3GAN solidified her place as a pop culture icon with a random hallway dance. There was little doubt the first film would spark a franchise, but M3GAN 2.0 surprisingly doesn’t just repackage its predecessor. The filmmakers have seemingly borrowed a page from James Cameron, who took the Alien series from horror to action with his sequel. While there’s still a creep factor to M3GAN 2.0, director Gerard Johnstone doubles down on the sci-fi action angle. Yet, M3GAN herself is as entertaining as ever, despite switching sides along with genres.
In another James Cameron connection, M3GAN 2.0 follows Terminator 2’s example with the previous film’s villain becoming an unlikely hero to stop another robot. M3GAN’s technology has been used to create AMELIA, a military robot gone rogue. AMELIA is planning a Skynet-level crisis, but first, she targets every person who had a hand in M3GAN’s development. That puts Allison Williams’ Gemma at the top of her hit list. Now existing in cyberspace, M3GAN offers to help Gemma in exchange for a body. Plus, M3GAN’s programming to protect young Cady (Violet McGraw) remains intact.
Jenna Davis is once again a riot as the voice of M3GAN, nailing every one-liner while bringing unexpected empathy to the character. Despite previously trying to kill each other, the idea of M3GAN teaming up with Gemma isn’t a huge stretch. After all, M3GAN was a better caregiver to Cady than Gemma for much of the first film. Sure, she killed four people and a dog, but it was in the name of what she was programmed to do: protect Cady. The final act did essentially turn M3GAN into a more traditional slasher villain (because hey, they needed a climax). For most of the film, though, the audience oddly found themselves on Team M3GAN.
The sequel builds upon this, turning M3GAN into a more heroic figure, albeit not without a dark side. As such, Gemma isn’t sure if she can trust M3GAN. Neither can the audience, although this adds to the fun. In addition to M3GAN’s characterization, M3GAN 2.0 evolves the original’s theme concerning AI. Where the first film touched upon the dangers of raising children with AI, the sequel is more about adults using AI irresponsibly. While not groundbreaking commentary, it is a timely exploration of AI’s pros and cons in an ever-changing technological landscape. It does so with a comedic edge that comes close to jumping the shark, but the filmmakers keep the humor just grounded enough. M3GAN hasn’t turned into Chucky, who became a parody of himself after a while.
There are some missed opportunities. Although Ivanna Sakhno perfectly blends into the uncanny valley, AMELIA is a fairly straightforward antagonist. There’s another villain working in the shadows whose identity most will pick up on from the second they show up. Jemaine Clement also feels underutilized as a tech genius who somehow isn’t as slimy or socially awkward as Elon Musk. Gemma’s friends Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps) are passable side characters, although they don’t add much. Tess, in particular, is kind of forgotten about in the third act. Yet, M3GAN, Gemma, and Cady always make for a fun family unit. Who knows where they’ll take M3GAN 3 (which needs a better title), but as long as the main trio returns, I’m onboard.