M3GAN 2.0 Review

 

M3GAN 2.0 is a sci-fi action film and the sequel to 2023's M3GAN. Production was done by Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster with Universal Pictures doing distribution. Gerald Johnstone both wrote and directed.

The story is, it's been two years since the events of the first movie. During that time Gemma has become an author and an advocate for regulations on A.I. and M3GAN has been trapped in a harmless robot doll. What they don't yet realize is M3GAN's technology has been stolen and used by defense contractors to create their own military robot called AMELIA. AMELIA soon becomes self-aware and turns on her creators then plans for an A.I. takeover. Knowing the stakes are high Gemma has no choice but to rebuild and upgrade M3GAN in the hopes of stopping AMELIA.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see/review this is because I really liked the first movie. So when I read about a sequel I was interested. Although I did go into this with skepticism because of the change from horror to action.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

One mix came from the humor. There are many funny moments, most of them stemming from M3GAN's sarcastic personality. Having said that there were moments that just didn't work. Like when M3GAN sings Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work". Yeah that part was...odd, very odd. Then there's the story. It's very relevant to what we're seeing and hearing about now regarding A.I. Such as the ethics and what kind of regulations we should have on it. And while it's good to see that touched on it doesn't really provide a deep commentary. What I mean by deep in this case wasn't I was hoping for something truly thought provoking, but more of something that wasn't fairly standard. While there was some interesting things said a lot of it was stuff you'd expect to hear regarding A.I.

Pros

First things first is the pacing. While there are some moments that can be a little slow, a majority of the runtime is easy to get through. But my last and best praise I'll give the movie is the performances. Amie Donald comes back to provide the physical work for M3GAN and just like she did in the first she does great. It's amazing how with only body language she's able to display M3GAN's personality. Amie provided a great balance of human-like expressions with some creepy robotic movements. And with this tremendous skill set of hers it's no surprise she nailed it with the dance choreography and the action scenes. Then we have Jenna Davis as the voice of M3GAN. Her voice gave us some hilarious, snarky wit as well as menace, and she can switch between those tones flawlessly. So Jenna adapting greatly to the more action-heavy/lighter tone. Now let's move onto the other actresses playing a deadly A.I., that being Ivanna Sakhno as AMELIA. Unlike M3GAN Ivanna delivered a far more cold performance. Ivanna brought a fantastic icy demeanor that was a perfect counterpart to M3GAN's more chaotic energy. Lastly there's Alison Williams and Violet McGraw. Whatever chemistry they had in the first was also brought here. Where they truly shine comes from the more quieter scenes. After M3GAN returns they have a believable sincerity to their argument regarding trust. These two definitely provide a more emotional depth.

M3GAN 2.0 isn't by any means flawless, you probably have more issues with than me, but for me I wasn't disappointed. While I wish the humor was better, I still found enjoyment.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's all for now. Come back on Monday, Jun 30th, for a review of another recently released movie. That being F1. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.