M3GAN 2.0
review by Bobby Blakey
In 2022 a new form of AI took to the big screen with the film M3GAN. Now the next chapter of the dangerous is back with M3GAN 2.0 starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Ivanna Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp, and Jemaine Clement with director Gerard Johnstone returning to direct. Could this next chapter offer up more of the same violent fun or should it never been booted up?
M3GAN 2.0 follows two years after M3GAN went rogue and embarked on a murderous (and impeccably choreographed) rampage her creator Gemma has become a high-profile author and advocate for government oversight of A.I. Unbeknownst to them, the underlying tech for M3GAN has been stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia, the ultimate killer infiltration spy. With the future of human existence on the line, Gemma realizes that the only option is to resurrect M3GAN and give her a few upgrades, making her faster, stronger, and more lethal. As their paths collide, the original A.I bitch is about to meet her match.
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I loved the first film so was eager to get back into the world of M3GAN and the trailers looked like it was a good time. The filmmakers went full Terminator 2 with the story turning M3GAN into a hero of sorts or at least we think so as it plays out completely with the new AI on the block to face off against. This shifts the tone of the film to more of an action sci-fi film with a lot more humor as opposed to the darker horror style of the original. This might put some off but for me it was a fun new direction in this silly world.
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The story here plays even more into the world’s fears of AI and reliance on technology using these two characters as they go head-to-head. The story is fun and ridiculous all at once as it takes us in a whole new direction. Sure, the whole thing is goofy on some level, but if you can buy the first film then you can buy this one and let it do its’ thing. It makes some smart choices of evolving the character to something different complete with dealing with the actress having a growth spurt.
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They make sure not to just rehash the first film and mix it all up which might lose some. They delivered a full-on action flick that offers up some great fight sequences and kills and it was a blast to watch. From the trailer this is pretty much the direction I expected and loved it. It knows what it is and embraces the absurdity of it all. There are plenty of moments that make no sense including one with no real explanation to how a place was built or created, but you just go with it and have some fun.
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I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but I enjoyed this one more than the first film. They are two different films that coexist in the same universe perfectly and appreciate where they took this one to step things up. I doubt we will get to see any more M3GAN in the future at this point, but this one is a good wrap up to it all. On the off chance we do get another chance to revisit this world I am ready to plug back in.
In addition to the film, this release offers bonus content including featurettes and both theatrical and unrated versions of the film. Witness the upgrade with M3GAN 2.0 available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on September 23rd from Universal Home Entertainment.