Written by the film’s director, Gerard Johnstone (Housebound 2014), M3gan 2.0 once again toys with the idea of the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As AI continues to be integrated into all aspects of life, the storyline features scathing criticism of the lack of oversight and guardrails on this ever-evolving technology. Can AI handle being autonomous, or is its very existence a blight on humanity?

Two years have passed since M3gan (voiced by Jenna Davis: Lisa Frankenstein 2024 & played by Amie Donald: M3gan 2022) went on a murderous rampage to protect Cady (Violet McGraw: Megan 2022). M3gan’s creator, Gemma (Allison Williams: Get Out 2017), has vowed to protect the world from the dangers of an over-reliance on technology. Unfortunately, her new outlook on life is in jeopardy when Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno: Ahsoka 2023), a military-grade weapon based on M3gan’s design, begins to wreak havoc. Soon, Gemma will need to rebuild her original creation not only to protect Cady but also to save the world. 

Bigger Budget, Same Bitch

The increased budget is on full display with more robots, larger locations, and better outfits for M3gan. Just about every aspect of the movie has increased tenfold. In the first film, M3gan seemed overly advanced for a children’s toy, but the now fully realized world shows just how commonplace technology has become. The bigger set pieces allow for constant robot carnage that never fails to be entertaining.

Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here expecting horror. M3gan 2.0 is not a traditional horror film. M3gan 2.0 bucks the horror trope of waiting till a series is more established in the later sequels before jumping the shark. It has stepped away from its horror roots and unabashedly entered the world of sci-fi action. With over-the-top marketing of choreographed M3gans dancing to “Oops I Did it Again” to the tagline “This Bitch is Back,” there is no inclination that there will be thrills and chills. At the risk of alienating hardcore horror fans, it’s more accessible to a wider audience.

While it’s beneficial to watch the previous film to understand the characters and motivations, the genre whiplash is sure to make heads spin. M3gan 2.0 tonally steps away from the likes of Chucky and lovingly walks into the arms of the Terminator and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The violence was toned down in the first one to secure a PG-13 rating, and the same can be said of the sequel (kinda). Without a doubt, moments of gore were adjusted to appease the MPA, but M3gan 2.0 is pushing PG-13 to its breaking point. While there are many instances of quick cuts before a kill is complete, the boundaries of exactly how much extreme violence can be shown to a pre-teen audience are stressed down to the exact frame. With a clear direction towards the action/superhero genre, there’s enough bone-breaking and combat to entertain the majority of audiences. If anything, excessive gore would feel almost out of place.

M3gan 2.0 is loud, bombastic, and fun. When the original came out, it was compared to the killer doll movies that came before, so it’s refreshing to see M3gan do something new. The result of this experiment is an entertaining and campy action movie. It’s fair to have reservations and disappointment about the new direction the film has taken, but that’s a disservice to the film’s accomplishments. Technology keeps evolving, so why can’t horror?