Ticketworthy! - M3GAN 2.0

2022’s M3GAN was a surprise hit, a horror-comedy about the dangers of AI and letting technology raise your children. While it was hardly the scariest movie of the year, it was clever and delivered just the right mix of humor and creepiness with a villain that instantly became an icon. The whole endeavor resonated with audiences, and a potential franchise was born. Which is why it’s so baffling that M3GAN 2.0, gleefully throws away so many of the elements that made the original great. It’s not just a lackluster movie; it’s a very poor sequel.

The story picks up two years after the supposed destruction of M3GAN (Amie Donald/Jenna Davis) as Gemma (Allison Williams) and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) have put their lives back together. Gemma has now become an advocate for restrictions and regulations against AI, though she still struggles to connect with Cady despite technology no longer standing between them. When a rogue AI, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) starts hunting down those responsible for her creation, Gemma must rebuild M3GAN to help stop the violent robot.

If that sounds less like a horror movie and more like an action flick or spy-thriller, the reason is that there is absolutely no horror to be found in M3GAN 2.0. It’s more akin to Mission Impossible than the first M3GAN, and not nearly as well made as either. The plot is convoluted, the characters are given almost nothing of note to do, the twists are predictable and silly, and to top it off, the fight scenes aren’t even that good. M3GAN’s robotic fighting moves don’t look particularly fluid or impressive. I don’t mean that as a knock on the actress or stunt performers doing the work, I’m sure they are doing the best with what they have, M3GAN just does not work as a martial arts wielding action-bot.

I can’t give much praise to the actors either, since they do very little besides wait around for M3GAN to fix whatever danger they happen to be in at that moment. There are some fun quips and moments, but mostly they are all just props with little to no agency.

Most concerningly, the film seems to toss out the entire meaning of the first movie. The original was a warning that technology wasn’t a suitable replacement for human interaction, that we couldn’t rely on it to take care of us or protect us. However, Gemma and the others spend this film entirely dependent on technology to save them. If you watched the two movies back-to-back, you’d get whiplash from how quickly it turns the message around.

Credit where it’s due, the saving grace of the film is M3GAN herself. She still has the dry, cynical sense of humor that made her so likeable the first time, and the actresses behind her still do a wonderful job bringing her to life. The whole thing also looks really polished and slick. Director Gerard Johnstone has pretty good instincts behind the camera, so at least it’s all nice to look at.

Unfortunately, visuals and one good character aren’t enough to overcome the awful script, weak action, and bafflingly contradictory message. If you are willing to turn off your brain and not think about it at all, you might find a way to have a decent time with the fun lights and colors, but the same could be accomplished watching a lava lamp without having to buy a movie ticket. In the end, M3GAN 2.0 is an update that winds up being a massive downgrade.