M3GAN 2.0 Review: A Malfunctioned Genre Shift to a Tedious Action-Oriented Sci-Fi Sequel

Returning director Gerard Johnstone made a change in M3GAN 2.0, shifting from the first movie‘s sci-fi horror formula to an action-oriented sequel. Hey, it worked for Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, both blockbuster sequels which were directed by James Cameron, who also embraced the bait-and-switch concept from the respective first movies’ sci-fi horror tropes.

So, why can’t M3GAN 2.0? Well, if only Johnstone had the same filmmaking prowess as Cameron did, this sequel to the first movie’s surprise hit would have been a worthy follow-up. Too bad that’s not the case with M3GAN 2.0, as Johnstone, who also wrote the screenplay this time with the first movie’s Akela Cooper, only received a story credit as a co-writer, and took the heavy-handed route of the familiar AI-goes-rogue narrative approach.

The rogue AI in question is the introduction of a new killer robot dubbed AMELIA, an acronym for “Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android”. Played by the icy Ivanna Sakhno, we first see AMELIA in action during an overseas mission, taking down the enemies with relative ease before she mysteriously goes rogue. The story then focuses on Gemma (Allison Williams), the AI genius behind her creation of M3GAN (Amie Donald, but voiced by Jenna Davis) and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw).

The last time we saw them, they were nearly killed by the rogue M3GAN. Her body may have been destroyed, but M3GAN still manages to keep herself alive by uploading her AI consciousness into the smart home system. The first half of M3GAN 2.0 is spent building up the story as Johnston tries to address everything from Gemma and Cady’s estranged relationship to the subsequent threat from AMELIA. And what we have here is a protracted stretch where Johnston relies heavily on the exposition-heavy scenario to move his story forward.

I can’t believe I feel bored watching it, making me wonder if M3GAN 2.0 would recover in the second half. The latter is where the upgraded M3GAN finally made her appearance, and for a while there, she helps enliven this otherwise tedious sequel with her occasional sardonic remarks and a feisty attitude. Obviously taking a cue from Terminator 2, M3GAN is no longer the killer robot from the first movie but rather an ally who sided with Gemma and particularly Cady. Not surprisingly, the sequel sees M3GAN confronting AMELIA at some point, leading to a series of decent hand-to-hand combats between these two AI robots.

And yet, such scenes are only a few and far between and making things worse is that Johnston feels the need to throw in more exposition dumps. The supposedly high-stakes scenario is strangely diluted because of that, before the movie culminates in an underwhelming third act. While there’s nothing wrong with swapping the genre as long as it justifies the changes, the biggest problem with Johnston’s overall direction and writing is how long-winded the whole story is.

Sure, the sequel contains some traces of fun, while the movie incorporates unexpected pop-culture references, from name-dropping some of Steven Seagal’s 1990s movies during his peak era to the fact that Cady is now trained in aikido martial arts. Then, there’s the presence of the lively M3GAN contrasting with the deadpan AMELIA, while Williams and McGraw each have their moments, but it isn’t enough to offset most of its shortcomings.

The absence of Akela Cooper for not being involved in the screenwriting process is sorely felt in M3GAN 2.0. The sequel’s erratic momentum, coupled with its unnecessarily drawn-out narrative that is twenty minutes longer than the first movie, doesn’t help either. Frankly, the first M3GAN wasn’t a genre masterpiece of any kind, but at least it was structured better by comparison than this largely misguided sequel.