M3GAN 2.0 Review
“It looks worse than it is”. An apt line of dialogue spoken by Megan in her anticipated sequel, M3GAN 2.0, in which she tries to comfort a victim who has been skewered by a javelin. This comical line works as a perfect summary for this cash cow sequel; it’s not as bad as the garish advertising made it look (see trailer below). But it’s certainly not an upgrade either.
Back in 2022, the murderous dancing doll left her mark on the zeitgeist as she lovingly protected her charge Cady (Violet McGraw) from harm in one moment, then sliced up office workers whilst doing freaky cartwheels with a makeshift machete in the next. M3gan also left her mark on the box office, raking in a whopping 180 million worldwide. And what was even wilder was that M3GAN herself became a pop cultural (and gay) icon. With her viral dancing being emulated all over the internet, and her signature beige look becoming the Halloween costume pick of that year.
Given her cultural caché and the fact that director Greg Johnstone intentionally left the door open for a franchise, audiences have been eager to see Megan make her comeback. But frustratingly, even with Johnstone back in the director’s chair, M3GAN 2.0 fails to recognise and recapture what made the first M3GAN film such a winner: its simplicity. By definition, sequels have larger budgets and are hardwired to be bigger and more spectacular. M3gan 2.0 does what a sequel typically is supposed to do. It expands on the lore, and yes, there are more extravagant set pieces, stunts and visual effects. But the problem is the story has now become both overblown and overwrought to ridiculous levels.
The first film worked as a compact, straightforward and self-contained story about a broken family. Where a desperate aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) turned to a robot she created to help raise her preadolescent niece Cady (Violet McGraw). It was a cautionary (albeit hammy) tale about the dangers of a child being over reliant on technology during their pivotal formative years of development. Surprisingly, there was actual substance about modern parenting in the mix, even if the narrative predictably morphed into the overprotective cyberdoll’s programming going awry and subsequently going on a killing spree. The premise was hardly groundbreaking, but nonetheless, it found a fresh modern spin on the formula. And there was a lot of fun to be had watching a tween-doll boogieing to Skatt Bros’ “Walk the Night” or Sia’s “Titanium” as she murdered her victims.
Here in M3GAN 2.0, Megan (physically played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) is reluctantly brought back by her creator Gemma in order to take down a new robotic threat called Ameila (Ivanna Sakhno), a military grade prototype hellbent on causing a global catastrophe. Meaning the film is less creepy, campy horror, and more Rockem’ Sockem’ girl-on-girl action sci-fi movie. It deserves credit for not being a rinse-and-repeat of the first film’s premise. They’ve at least tried to give us something new and have taken a big, bold swing with the screenplay. But the sequel is sadly not harder, better, faster, or stronger than its predecessor. More like contrived, convoluted, dumber and longer. It’s a classic case of sequelitis.
But there is still brainless fun to be had with this follow-up. Screenwriters Johnstone and Akela Cooper’s script is peppered with hilariously savage and unfiltered comments from Megan. There’s even another impromptu song outburst from Megan that rivals the “Tell Me Your Dreams” moment from the first. And they do attempt to weave some philosophical discourse about morality, free will and motherhood into the mix. But these topics were already sifted through in the first film, so it doesn’t pack the same punch.
The back-breaking action is a riot to observe. With many cleverly blocked sequences hiding some gnarly dismemberments in order to keep its 15 rating. There is clearly more usage of visual effects this time around, but Johnstone refuses to lean on VFX as a crutch. It’s clear that if there were a way to shoot something practically, then he would do it that way. Thankfully, the franchises’ tangible technological charm is still intact.
Like Megan herself, this sequel is self-aware enough to know what it is: unapologetically trashy entertainment. Jen Van Epps’ character Tess even points out the absurdity of the plot. “You want to rebuild a deranged robot in order to catch another one?! That’s Batshit”. So it’s clear Johnstone’s tongue was very much planted in his cheek when making this film.
But despite best efforts to make a fun summer horror movie with some sly subliminal messages about the dangers of artificial intelligence, M3GAN 2.0 ultimately lacks the unexpected wow-factor of the first film. There’s no surprise with this sequel, only more spectacle. The chilling thrills of the first have been bumped out for more elaborate action set pieces that feel more at home in a heist or spy movie. Megan has glowed up, but bigger isn’t necessarily better. The end result is a sequel that feels overinflated and so far removed from what made the original so beloved.
★★
In UK cinemas June 27th / Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Jen Van Epps, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jemaine Clement / Dir: Gerard Johnston e/ Universal Pictures / 15
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