The robot that became a social media sensation in 2022 is back, this time with martial arts skills and a whole lot of exposition.
A sequel, “M3GAN 2.0” takes place two years after the events of the first film. Gemma and Cady continue to live together, with the former now advocating for AI regulations while the latter still struggles to fully fit in. Meanwhile, a new robot, unbeknownst to the protagonists, escapes from its programmers and goes rogue.
With the robot, named AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) now a threat, and the government suspecting Gemma is behind it, she, Cady and company have to go back to M3GAN for help. Surviving in cyberspace, M3GAN (Amie Donald) agrees, and she still has some of her attitude and sass.
A change in genre with a sequel isn’t completely unheard of, and it can be a good way of bring a concept back in a way that’s fresh. In the case of “M3GAN 2.0,” there was some promise with the switch. Turning the titular character who was once a dreaded force into an action hero has potential, a la “Terminator 2.”
Unfortunately, unlike that film, the second “M3GAN” doesn’t have great execution. It’s a sequel that feels both overstuffed and underwhelming. The film is packed with exposition, revolving around a convoluted plot, yet so much of it leads to nothing particularly satisfying.
That’s not to say the film becomes a difficult watch, but it’s never quite captivating either. Plus, in the process of transitioning to action, some of the charm in the original film gets lost. By expanding the world so much with its extensive espionage-like plot, the film loses the more intimate, compelling aspects that made the first work.
Again, pivoting to action doesn’t immediately sink the film, but it does feel like the film was trying to bite off more than it could chew, narratively speaking. It’s as if Gerard Johnstone, who’s on his third directorial feature, was trying to play in a bit to the entire “M3GAN” pop culture phenomenon, on top of this just being a sequel.
Another issue with the film is the ongoing strained relationship between Gemma and Cady. This is an example of sequel regression. It’s where something that you’d think would have been settled in the original is repeated in the sequel. In this case, it’s Gemma and Cady still being at odds, which is somewhat of a rehash of the first film.
By this point, it may have been stronger for them to be closer, to show an advancement of the characters. With that said, it’s still enjoyable spending time with these characters again. Gemma and Cady are both solid protagonists, and including M3GAN in the fold is a good time, especially now that all of them are more experienced and “battle hardened,” so to speak.
Allison Williams is good on screen as a woman who doesn’t put up with BS anymore, while Violet McGraw is proving herself as a top-level young talent. The combined efforts of Amie Donald and Jenna Davis to bring M3Gan to life are commendable, too. Though the supporting cast on the other hand are more hit and miss. Plus, the villain is really obvious.
Most disappointing when it comes to other characters is the other robot, AMELIA. One would hope it’d be a “meet their match” scenario for M3GAN, but AMELIA is so robotic and lacks the sass, fire and any semblance of personality of that made her predecessor memorable. Had she been able to verbally go toe-to-toe with M3GAN, on top of the combat, it would have been more fun.
As sequels go, “M3GAN” unfortunately underwhelms. There are some good times to be had in returning to these characters, some of their antics are fun and there’s a bit of action for entertainment. But there’s so much exposition, a fairly weak story, the AI themes are questionable, and the vibes aren’t as pure as the original. Not quite bad, but at the same time, below average. 2.75 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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