Blumhouse is pulling a similar trick with M3GAN 2.0 that it did a few years ago when Happy Death Day 2U swapped genres from horror to sci-fi. The sequel to 2022’s hit horror film about the psychotic dancing AI doll has gone in a different direction entirely, becoming a sci-fi action-comedy, like the Temu version of Terminator. It’s pretty fun at times, and it’s still a blast when M3GAN gets to kick some ass. But when those moments of rooting for the former villain are over, the film lacks the witty humor to completely pull off such a drastic change.
Set a couple of years after M3GAN made everybody terrified of murderous AI, the story finds a new killer bot on the scene. AMELIA, which stands for autonomous military engagement logistics and infiltration android, has gone rogue and is looking to destroy everything and everyone. She has sprung from the original M3GAN coding written by Gemma (Allison Williams), who has somehow avoided prison for her part in the chaos and is all apologetic about it now. AMELIA has Gemma on her hit list, and look, she might appear to be a runway model (played by Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno) but this droid is all gas, no brakes. Fortunately, M3GAN’s “spirit” or whatever survived her destruction in the first movie, and with a brand new body she can do what she was always programmed to do, which is keep Cady (Violet McGraw) from harm.
M3GAN 2.0 is a much bigger movie than the first one, and also a lot more ambitious. That’s fine and all, but M3GAN worked because it was a cheesy riff on our obsession with AI which was just starting to explode. But now, AI is a normal part of our everyday life and the gag doesn’t hit as well as it did before. Director Gerard Johnstone takes over screenwriting duties from Akela Cooper who only gets a “Story by” credit this time around. It’s not for lack of trying, but the screenplay isn’t that funny this time around. M3GAN is more sensitive, and she really wants to talk (and occasionally sing Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work”!!!) about all of these human emotions swirling around. She has a nice heart-to-heart with Gemma about what motherhood is all about and it’s more weird than hilarious.
Johnstone is better at capturing physical comedy and action sequences than he is at screenwriting. Supporting players Brian Jordan Alvarez as Cole and Jen Van Epps as Tess have much larger roles this time. Especially Alvarez, whose Cole is sortof the team’s master of disguise. He’s the one forced to dress up and enter dangerous situations he’s not really equipped to handle. There are some really cool fights this time around, including one at an AI Tech Expo that shows Johnstone’s cleverness at staging violence in a way that looks gruesome but can keep a PG-13 rating. In a surprising twist, there’s a lot of love shown to action star Steven Seagal, not only with the preponderance of martial arts in the film but also Cady seeing him as a role model. And of course, M3GAN takes the stage and busts a move, decked out in more lights than a disco ball.
Shifting gears wasn’t the wrong move for M3GAN 2.0. The first movie wasn’t scary, anyway, and most fans were cheering her on to kill as many people as possible. In general, the idea of becoming an action movie is shrewd and gives the franchise a longer lifespan. This awkward first attempt didn’t quite work, but a third movie that upgrades the craziness could be exactly what’s needed.
M3GAN 2.0 is open in theaters now from Universal Pictures.
