M3GAN 2.0 – Review

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours, Director – Gerard Johnstone

Advocating for AI regulation, Gemma (Allison Williams) is forced to reluctantly rebuild M3GAN (Jenna Davis/ Amie Donald) to take on a more advanced robot (Ivanna Sakhno) planning a takeover of the US and beyond.

M3GAN 2.0 is less a sequel to M3GAN and more a sequel to the response to that film’s viral marketing campaign. Leaning away from horror and more towards action bursts of dialogue in the sequel mirror the trailers and taglines for the robotic-doll-gone-wrong’s return as a sassier, ever so slightly more self aware outing. Although, these bursts are largely all featured in the marketing as the rest of the film doesn’t feel quite so heightened, likely knowing that too much would make an overblown, forceful film crafted by the internet.

Instead, sole writer Gerard Johnstone, also returning to the director’s chair and receiving a story credit alongside M3GAN screenwriter Akela Cooper – the pair also shared story credit’s on that first film – tackles a safer tone and style in the aforementioned action vein. Many have mentioned the Terminator 2 feelings of the narrative, which are certainly present, as Allison Williams’ Gemma, now advocating for AI regulation in the wake of the deadly toy-gone-wrong she built in the first film, is forced to rebuild M3GAN (voice by Jenna Davis with Amie Donald providing the physical performance) when a more advanced military robot (Ivanna Sakhno’s AMELIA) using her technology plans a tech takeover of the US.

As the first film had occasional comedic beats the sequel tries to also, perhaps in a less darker vein though. Not ever gag gets a laugh, but there’s enough that gain even a mild response to help the film through its 2-hour run-time as it builds up towards the bigger action sequences. It’s in these moments where the film finds its best sense of flow, and confidence. As the two robots chase and duel either with each other or those trying to stop them there’s a rise in energy from Johnstone and in turn the film he’s directing as the action that it wants to make more of a point of properly steps into focus.

While conventions are still very much present and you can see most of the directions the film is going to go M3GAN 2.0 still feels like an improvement from the first instalment, which itself was also fine. It helps that the central cast all seem to actually want to be here instead of being there for the paycheque – and Violet McGraw’s Cady isn’t treated as the same age as she was two years prior in the film’s world and is treated by everyone still as a child but one who has grown up a bit.

As a whole, M3GAN 2.0 moves along well enough. Not all of it lands as it might hope, and it can sometimes feel like it’s playing itself a bit safe to get away with the genre change from the first film, but for the most part there’s a film that works and provides enough amusement here for two hours. While it may not end up being the most memorable there are a good few chuckles and some successful punches, fights and left-to-the-imagination injuries (while a 15 in the UK the film achieves a PG-13 in America) to help see it through.

With a genre switch which brings some punchy action to the proceedings, not everything about M3GAN 2.0 lands, but there’s enough here amongst the slight safe-playing to provide a likable kick for two hours.