She's baaaack... M3gan 2.0 brings everyone's favorite AI doll with a penchant for blood to screens yet again. While the sequel is not quite as filled with horror as the original, instead opting to focus on the comedy aspect, it still captures the same energy and delivers a fun time.
The first M3gan follows Cady (Violet McGraw) after her parents die in a terrible accident. Her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) takes her in but doesn't exactly know what she is doing. As a toy designer, she creates M3gan, a robot doll, to keep Cady occupied. The artificial intelligence is ordered to protect the child at all costs, and that is what it does, going on a murderous rampage to keep Cady safe. She even attacks Gemma, thinking it is in Cady's best interest, but she is supposedly destroyed in the end.
M3gan 2.0 sees the return of M3gan two years after the events of the first film. Without going too much into spoilers, she has found a way to survive and is brought back to fight an AI that has gone rogue from the government. M3gan is more self-aware and opts not to take orders anymore.
M3gan 2.0 Puts Camp Above Horror
The first M3gan was the perfect blend of horror and comedy. It is a little campy, but nothing compared to the amount of campiness that oozes out of M3gan 2.0. The sequel offers a few glimpses at horror, but it is more silly than anything else.
I mean this in a good way, for the record. It fully embraces the ridiculousness of the plot, making it a whole lot of fun to watch. The creatives behind this movie know their audience well; Blumhouse has always excelled at this (just think about what a hit Five Nights at Freddy's was with its target audience).
M3gan 2.0 is the Army of Darkness of the franchise, if you will. Go in seeking a good time, and you will surely get one.
AMELIA Is a Good Rival for M3gan, but Doesn't Have Much To Do
AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) is the perfect rival of M3gan. She was created using the same plans, so they are almost siblings, if you will. AMELIA opens up the movie and has a few epic action sequences, but unfortunately, other than that, she doesn't do much. I would have loved more conversations between her and M3gan, especially considering their connection.
Without spoilers, things could have gone differently at the end of M3gan 2.0, and even though I really like how it all wrapped up, just a smidge more drama and suspense would have made it even better.
The Fight Sequences Are Just as Good as in the Original
Because M3gan and AMELIA are both robots, they can go the extra mile during the fight sequences. They can truly take a beating, fighting one another while bits of their faces are hanging off.
The first movie had unforgettable action, but most of it came with a horror twist. This time around, the horror vibes are not there as much, but that is what makes it feel like something fresh and new, rather than a remake and a cash grab. Don't worry, though, you will still be on the edge of your seat during the fights as they are just as good as the ones in M3gan.
Overall Thoughts
M3gan 2.0 tries (and succeeds) to do things differently from the first movie by layering on the campiness. Cady and M3gan's bond is still at the center of the story, even though M3gan is now tasked with taking down another rogue AI. Gemma is more involved in Cady's life, but her work still takes her away from Cady sometimes.
Unsurprisingly, Cady is not allowed nearly as much screentime as she had in the past. Picking up two years later makes sense for the story being told. There are even a few touching scenes that will sneak up on viewers. It isn't as good as the first film, but sequels rarely are. Blumhouse likely knew it would be hard to compete with what M3gan delivered and instead opted to switch things up in terms of genre - a brilliant move.
Some viewers might be upset with the direction that M3gan 2.0 takes, but most will still have a blast with the movie and will be thrilled to see M3gan back on the big screen, this time with more sass.
Final Rating: 7/10
M3gan 2.0 comes to theaters on Friday, June 27.
