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Review by E.C. McMullen Jr. |
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M3GAN 2.0- 2025USA Release: June 27, 2025 Atomic Monster, Blumhouse Productions, Divide/Conquer, New Zealand Film Commission, Canada Audio Visual Tax Credit, Universal Pictures. Rating: USA: PG-13 |
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Oh boy! An Upgrade! Or at least an Update?
M3GAN 2.0 opens by playing Catch-up!
The fallout from the disaster that was the first M3GAN is, Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams: GET OUT, THE PERFECTION, A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS [TV], HORIZON LINE, M3GAN) was able to weasel out of culpability with the whole M3GAN fiasco thanks to her charming method of talking her way out of responsibility for her selfish, narcissistic behavior: its her expertise.
Her. Her. Her. Yes, its all about Gemma.
The company she worked for went under, she's struggling to start a new one that she owns, the general world and legal system believes her story and blames the dead tech bros. who actually ran the FUNKI company and everything looks like it will soon be both Hunky and Dory for Aunt Gemma.
Along for the ride in her wake Gemma brings her niece Cady (Violet McGraw: THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE [TV], DOCTOR SLEEP, SEPARATION), since the child served as an excellent sympathy tool in Gemma's arsenal. To keep themselves out of prison, her coworkers and nearly Slave-oids: madly adorable Tess (Jen Van Epps: NO EXIT) and affable slob Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) went along with Gemma's version of "what really happened".
Yes, it seems like everything worked out for the best because Aunt Gemma is done with robots. Now she's raising funds to make robotic exoskeletons people can wear that make crippled folks walk and give fully functional folks super strength!
...there are a few bugs to work out.
You'll note I said the general world and legal system believes Gemma?
Yeah... well her Tech bro peers are all suspicious as hell and most keep her at arm's length, except for two guys. One is the most wealthy and successful tech bro creep, Alton Appleton (Jermaine Clement: MEN IN BLACK3, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, LEGION [TV]), who in no way is supposed to give off an amalgamation smell of Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk.
That's all just cowincydink!
There's also the most quietly understanding, hands folding, lips pursing moral arbiter love interest to come along for Gemma in her life, and that's Christian (Aristotle Athari).
And if you can't figure his arc out in the first ten seconds then you aren't ready for the layered nuance of Baby Shark!
Anywho, with public court trial years of government investigation and all, certain M3GAN-ish plans, designs, and wotnot got into the government's hands and now they have a murder-bot. Policy wonk, Agent Sattler (Timm Sharp: KING OF THE ANTS) , wants to show what their AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno: PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING, THE BODY TREE, LET IT SNOW) can do.
What it was supposed to do was commit a single assassination of an enemy target. What it does is commit mass murder and escape.
Well dag nabbit! Now we have to break into the home of the M3GAN designer, Gemma, and demand to know where she went wrong with the plans we stole!
Why does life have to be so difficult?
As for Gemma, just when it looked like her life couldn't get any better, an anonymous donor gave her a high tech house! Man, this damn thing does everything and Gemma, being so full of herself she even schedules time in the day to take a break and feel guilty about her treatment of others, before she goes back to being awesome, was never the type to look gift horses in the mouth.
Sattler directs the charge where the government promptly breaks into said house which, up to a point, is more than capable of protecting itself and its inhabitants.
Which is good because a couple of black ops guys get their asses handed to them when they break and enter. Soon a "Time-out" is called. Threats are made, gifts exchanged, Sattler and the government stooges leave... for now.
Oh, and M3GAN apparently lives within the computerized electrical system of the house.
After this the story is all Pinocchio, DEMON SEED, and CHILD'S PLAY as M3GAN wants to be a real life child and will nearly stop at nothing to achieve it, unless it means hurting Cady. If M3GAN can't be real, it'll settle for being a super powered robot capable of handling anything life throws at Cady.
Oh to be free of that Damn original programming!
Jenna Davis (STAY AT HOME, VAMPIRINA [TV], M3GAN, LISA FRANKENSTEIN) returns as the voice of M3GAN and Amie Donald (M3GAN, SWEET TOOTH [TV]) returns as the body in the robot suit. Director Gerard Johnstone (HOUSEBOUND, M3GAN) took James Wan and Akela Cooper's story and original characters and put the sequel firmly on the same course as Don Mancini's CHILD'S PLAY 2, and by that I mean more comedy.
Gerard's comedy chops are first rate and his action and fight sequences are exciting. There's a whole lot of camera spinning in the fight scenes which, under Gerard's direction and Toby Oliver's cinematography, takes on a THE MATRIX / JOHN WICK feel which only adds to the campy horseplay.
The action sequences look expert, not amateur hour BATTLE: LA Shakey cam.
I enjoyed the goofiness of the original M3GAN, which didn't take itself too seriously and M3GAN 2.0 is even goofier without self-mockery (the kiss of death). If you were expecting a harder, grittier, darker M3GAN, well, that could have been cool too. But that's not who Johnstone is and that's not what we get with M3GAN 2.0.
Instead what we get is an action packed, fun and Thrilling sci-fi fantasy, light on the Horror, hard on the gore, and an all around good time.
Fun, flashy, and trashy, I give MEGAN 2.0...
Four Shriek Girls.
This review copyright 2025 E.C.McMullen Jr.
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