‘Look who came out to play…’
M3GAN was a surprise, almost accidental hit upon release in 2023 because it gave audiences something different. The film’s trailer, the dance sequence and the fact that the film recalled the anything-goes era of ’80s cinema ensured it found an audience outside of the usual horror crowd. M3GAN was a success because it was made unselfconsciously as a pure genre exercise. The problem with M3GAN 2.0, is that director Gerard Johnstone and producer James Wan, aware that they now had a hit on their hands, attempted to pander to the considerable fan base from the first film with limited results…
M3GAN (Amie Donald) is back! But this time, she is assisting the protagonists of the first film in their battle against AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), a hostile new robot created from M3GAN’s original design who becomes self-aware. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw return from the first film.
So… it’s Terminator 2, isn’t it? That’s what we have here. The crucial difference is that while that film somehow manages to veer wildly between action, comedy and pathos without skipping a beat, M3GAN 2.0 has no idea what kind of film it wants to be. It’s not funny (despite the presence of the usually reliable Jermaine Clement in a supporting role). It’s certainly not frightening. Even the action set pieces too often feel like a bland retread of the original. There is even another dance sequence (depressing proof, if any were required, that this unwanted sequel sees the production team trying to recapture the magic of the source material instead of casting a new spell).
There isn’t much else to say. This is an instantly forgettable, vacuous sequel that never comes close to justifying its existence. It is destined to be forgotten and so it should be.
