M3GAN 2.0 Gets an Action Upgrade, but With a Missing Spark

When a roboticist discovers that her designs have been stolen and used to create a militarized robot that has now gone rogue, her only hope for stopping it lies within her most unstable weapon. Written and directed by Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN 2.0 is a timely sequel right at the precipice of conversations around AI ethics. While it marks a welcome return for the iconic doll, it feels somewhat diluted in its campiness.

After her career-defining invention, M3GAN turned out to be a homicidal robot, Gemma (Allison Williams) has now become a staunch advocate for stricter laws around the use of artificial intelligence. And though the events two years prior should have brought her closer to her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), Gemma has once again buried herself in her work.

But when a governmental android called AMELIA begins a murderous rampage with plans to take down the societal grid, Gemma will have to lean on the one “person” she never wanted to rebuild.

M3GAN 2.0 sees the doll entering her Mission Impossible era, trading in much of its horror elements for action thriller. It’s almost ripped from current events, as the story tackles artificial intelligence, the morality behind its usage, and what role the government plays in it. Undoubtedly a major hot topic in the real world, more so than when M3GAN first came out in 2022. With that angle, we see our protagonists thrust into an espionage mission, which gives the film a burst of new energy, creatively taking it to new places to not be repetitive of its predecessor.

But what audiences loved so much about M3GAN—its unapologetic nature and campy antics—feels a bit weakened in this new entry. While we get some great one-liners from the titular character and absurd moments, they feel few and far between.

While the action picks up nicely towards the third act, it sputters to get to that point. It’s quite dull in the beginning, and you feel every minute of its 2-hour runtime. These films are only as fun as the moments where its campy “Terminator” can shine, so had it just been tightened up, that would have certainly helped maintain a steady pace and tone.

It is great that the film has everyone from its principal cast returning, from Williams and McGraw to Amie Donald as M3GAN (Jenna Davis as her voice). We also get more time with Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps’ characters Cole and Tess, who are colleagues of Gemma. Both are a delight with great comedic timing and delivery; they improve every scene they’re in.

Much to my disappointment is Williams’ drab performance. You could say it fits with an emotionless, career-driven character, but she plays such a significant part with immense screen time. A one-note performance serves nothing.

We do get a few new faces that are welcome additions. Jemaine Clement plays an eccentric, womanizing tech entrepreneur who’s lasered in on Gemma. He is bombastic and repulsive, and Clement leans into every moment, but dare I say, slightly underutilized.

And then there’s M3GAN’s rival AMELIA, played by Ivanna Sakhno. It was interesting to see another humanoid creation and explore its behavior and purpose. A battle of the bots is always a fun concept, and again, it helps take the film to a different place, positioning M3GAN as an anti-hero to root for. However, in the end, AMELIA’s motives feel slightly contradictory and lead to a messy conclusion, but it might be too critical to assume a film like this stays consistent with that.

While M3GAN 2.0 has some silly havoc to serve, I was left craving more in the camp and horror department. It very much commits to the action bit, so much so that it loses its eccentricity while taking it so far out of its roots — no longer resembling the genre blend of the first.

I do feel those lackluster bits are partially due to co-creator Akela Cooper not having a part in the script for this film. She’s worked with beloved horror filmmaker James Wan, writing for both M3GAN and the equally outrageous Malignant. She has such a pulse on how to fuse self-aware camp with horror that she was missed.

M3GAN 2.0 still offers plenty of entertainment, despite the disappointment of it abandoning its wonderfully outrageous sci-fi horror direction. It’s a shame it overcomplicates itself, stumbling through its AMELIA plot at times while lacking that zaniness I had hoped for. But I enjoy exploring facets of AI companions, so I’m still eager for next year’s spin-off film, SOULM8TE.

M3GAN 2.0 is in theaters June 27