M3GAN 2.0

by Mike McGranaghan

I was recently asked to speak to the Introduction to Film class at a local university. One of the students asked me what my criteria is for giving a movie a positive review. I responded that there is only one criterion – whether that movie engages me on either an intellectual, emotional, or entertainment level. M3GAN 2.0 illustrates what I mean on that last count. This sequel is preposterous, absurd, silly, and dumb, and yet those are the exact same qualities that made me enjoy it. It’s fun because it is unapologetically all of those things.

This follow-up to the 2022 horror flick M3GAN couldn’t be more different in tone. Taking a page from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, writer/director Gerard Johnstone flips the script, making the title character heroic this time around. The AI-driven android still has a snarky sense of humor and a streak of mischievousness. She just employs it to more benevolent effect for the sequel.

To make an extremely complicated narrative short, someone has taken the AI technology developed by Gemma (Allison Williams) and used it to build a weapon called Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno). She has gone rogue and now people are dying left and right. Gemma and niece Cady (Violet McGraw) appear to be coming up on her list. The only way to bring down Amelia is to give life to M3GAN once more, with the hope of triggering her directive to protect Cady. That is an extremely simplified plot synopsis. To elaborate on the specifics would be a one-way ticket to madness.

In addition to changing M3GAN’s allegiances, the sequel also chucks the horror aspect, going deep into the science-fiction realm instead. Many scenes involve people manipulating AI technology or having forms of AI technology fight with each other. M3GAN even flies in one scene. The first hour is a lot of muddled exposition setting up the story; the second is a barrage of full-on craziness as M3GAN and Amelia do battle. They are, however, not the only technologically enhanced beings here. I won't elucidate to avoid spoilers.

None of it makes a lick of sense, and the longer M3GAN 2.0 goes on, the goofier it becomes, with insane plot twists and over-the-top action sequences. An attempt is made to say something about whether artificial intelligence can be taught morality but it’s largely buried beneath the mayhem. After a while, it becomes almost impressive how committed the picture is to not taking itself too seriously. (A heart-to-heart between Gemma and M3GAN has an absolutely hilarious payoff.) Johnstone imbues the tale with a self-aware sense of humor that invites you into the madness. This is the kind of film where you wait with anticipation to find out what bizarre avenue it’s going to take you down next.

Aside from frequently being intentionally funny, the sequel benefits from keeping M3GAN’s edge. She drops some primo new catch phrases, not the least of which is “Hold on to your vaginas!” Even though she’s working with Gemma and Cady rather than against them, she retains a certain devilishness that makes her a delight to watch. The switch from outright villain to antihero suits her well.

M3GAN 2.0 is less streamlined than its predecessor. The sci-fi approach nonetheless launches the franchise in a direction that promises longevity. Like the Fast & Furious series, it embraces the crazy. Once you accept that the sequel is not going to be a clone of the original, there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had.

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