Movie Review: M3GAN 2.0
M3GAN is undeniably a cool character, but she deserved a better script.
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By Angela Davis
CORRESPONDENT
The 2020s have been a landmark decade so far for the horror genre, with countless classics being released in just the past five years, and one of the biggest hits among mainstream audiences was M3GAN. This Blumhouse horror featuring a rogue AI became a smash hit among moviegoers, prompting the studio to immediately greenlight a sequel, which is now playing in cinemas.
M3GAN 2.0 sees the return of the sassy killer AI doll. When another android modeled after her dangerous coding goes on a rampage and threatens the stability of the United States, M3GAN teams up with her creator, Jemma, to track her down. However, she faces a series of difficult obstacles that involve a more advanced version of herself and the bad blood she created with Jemma in the last film.
What’s interesting about M3GAN 2.0 is how it completely abandons the genre that made the first film a huge hit. In order to turn her into an antihero, director Gerard Johnstone chooses to make the sequel into an action movie. There’s no denying that employing a tonal shift for the sequel isn’t necessarily a bad idea, given how popular a character M3GAN is among fans. However, the execution is a bit mixed.
The best part of the film is undeniably M3GAN herself. Played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis, the character is just as crude and hilarious as ever. If fans come to this film wanting to see more of her personality, they will absolutely get it in spades. She makes the entire film well worth watching for those who fell in love with her three years ago.
The story she returns for leaves a lot to be desired.
Running at exactly two hours long, there are times where the film really starts to overstay its welcome. It takes a ton of influence from James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day as it attempts to humanize the villain of the first film, but this leads to the film dragging because the emotional moments don’t hit quite as hard as the T-800 bonding with John Connor in the Terminator sequel.
On top of this is a plot that gets incredibly convoluted when the villain reveals their plans in a way that’s reminiscent of a Bond villain. Their motives become difficult to comprehend, and it feels as if the script, which would have benefitted from another rewrite or two, attempts to make the film more complex than it is. The film certainly has some unique ideas about the rise of AI in today’s society and how humans are dealing with this, but it isn’t executed well enough to make these ideas memorable.
Overall, M3GAN 2.0 is what many could consider a streamer movie. It’s something that can be easily enjoyed on a rainy afternoon, streaming at home. However, when it comes to seeing it on the big screen, it’s not the grand return that many fans hoped for. M3GAN is undeniably a cool character, but she deserved a better script.
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