M3GAN 2.0 (15)

Two years have passed since artificially intelligent doll M3GAN went rogue and almost killed its creator Gemma in pursuit of fulfilling a mission to protect Gemma's young niece, Cady. The technology used in the device is exploited by a defence contractor to create the ultimate spy, AMELIA. Like her predecessor, AMELIA becomes self-aware and rebels against her human masters with deadly force. The only way to halt this deadly new adversary is to resurrect M3GAN and upgrade her killer hardware.

LondonNet Film Review

M3GAN 2.0 (15) Film Review from LondonNet

Killing was child’s play in the 2022 horror thriller M3GAN. The eponymous artificially intelligent companion doll embarked on a murderous rampage that almost claimed the life of her creator, accompanied by some deliciously camp one-liners and a hypnotic dance sequence that went viral on social media. Writer-director Gerard Johnstone’s sequel is hardwired for laughs, not scares, cranking up the tongue-in-cheek tomfoolery as the eponymous antagonist chases redemption as an unlikely anti-hero capable of saving mankind from an insidious new threat…

The robotic villainess’s meme-worthy gyrations are matched in the second film by a snort-inducing a cappella rendition of Kate Bush’s empowering 1980s anthem This Woman’s Work to soothe away one human character’s woes. Johnstone milks the ludicrousness of this supposedly touching situation for every chortle and guffaw and he relishes early scenes, which trap acid-tongued M3GAN inside the cheerful blue frame of a real-life AI robot for children named Moxie, which the mechanical menace denounces as “a plastic Teletubby”. Once M3GAN returns to her familiar girlish form, replete with technical enhancements, the expertly choreographed fight and chase sequences begin in earnest and cameras pirouette and spin in synchronicity with warring robots to create a sense of kinetic energy.

Two years have passed since M3GAN (Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) went rogue and almost killed her creator, robotics engineer Gemma Forrester (Allison Williams), under the auspices of protecting Gemma’s orphaned niece, Cady (Violet McGraw). Gemma and colleagues Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps) barely survived the damage to their reputations. Meanwhile, Gemma fell hopelessly in love with responsible AI activist Christian (Aristotle Athari), becoming one half of a technically savvy power couple at the beating heart of Silicon Valley.

Alas, M3GAN’s specs are leaked to a defence contractor to create the ultimate undercover asset, an Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android aka AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno). Like her predecessor, AMELIA becomes self-aware and rebels against her human masters with deadly force. The only way to neutralise this relentless adversary is to resurrect M3GAN and upgrade her killer hardware so she stands a chance of vanquishing her contemporary. Understandably, Gemma is reluctant to unleash her duplicitous and corrupted creation back into the world but desperate times call for outlandish and potentially suicidal measures.

M3GAN 2.0 is a marginal downgrade on the sleek cautionary thrills and chills of the original. Bigger doesn’t mean better when it comes to the sequel’s running time (around 20 minutes longer than its predecessor) and the ultimate stand-off between mechanised rivals is a reboot of android nightmares from the Terminator films. Irreverent and salty humour dilutes the horror and Jemaine Clement’s supporting turn as a self-glorifying tech mogul is one broadly comedic swish too far towards risibility.

– Kim Hu