In the two years since “M3GAN” came out, AI has become a constant talking point and more a part of our daily life and culture. Yet strangely, the killer robot girl who shimmied and stabbed her way into our hearts is defanged and watered down in her return.
Rather than being clever like the original movie, a horror-tinged sci-fi satire/parental cautionary tale, sequel “M3GAN 2.0” (★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters June 27) is the type of combo goofy comedy/undercooked action flick that would earn an epic sick burn from M3GAN herself. She’s the needle-dropping, TikTok-ready meme queen who’s supposed to slay, and in this one, she just loses her way.
It’s been two years since inventor Gemma (Allison Williams) created a high-tech companion for her orphaned niece Cady (Violet McGraw) and the overprotective M3GAN went on a homicidal spree. While it got Gemma in a lot of hot water, now she’s turned it around and become quite the AI ethicist.
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But the government would like another word. It seems an earlier model of M3GAN was turned into a military-grade covert operative named Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno) who’s now gone rogue, seeking out an old piece of powerful technology that would make humanity expendable. To combat Amelia, M3GAN needs to get back in the game, but Gemma’s reluctant to do much more than put her AI attitude in a kids toy, worrying that she’ll break bad again.
Amelia proves to be such a nuisance that M3GAN gets her wish and Gemma’s team creates a stronger, faster, taller body suitable for fighting and dancing.
Thankfully, M3GAN is as sassy as ever – otherwise this thing would be far less watchable – but her unhinged spirit that was so delightfully delicious in the first film is sacked in the name of “personal growth” and Tom Cruise-y airborne action sequences.
The addition of Sakhno, last seen as a lightsaber-wielding antagonist in “Ahsoka,” is a nice touch. While M3GAN is clearly a creepy doll brought to life, Sakhno’s angular face and doe eyes lend a heightened human quality to Amelia, who’s also top notch at delivering unnerving death stares. Among the returning crew, Brian Jordan Alvarez gets more to do as Cole, one of Gemma’s scientific colleagues, and it feels earned after his hilarious breakthrough FX comedy series “English Teacher.”
The movie sets up an epic battle between M3GAN and Amelia, and they do have a few good tussles. But what promises to be a battle on the level of the rock-em, sock-em robot action of “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” is overcomplicated by a nonsensical subplot involving another killer machine from the ‘80s. For real, if a “M3GAN” movie has one rule, it’s don’t mess up the fembot throwdown.
Writer/director Gerard Johnstone’s sequel fumbles quite a few things it shouldn’t, though. It feels weirdly dated: There’s a running joke involving Cady using Steven Seagal as a role model – good luck explaining him to the kids – and in what’s supposed to be an amusing moment that just seems forced, M3GAN serenades a weirded-out Gemma with Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work.”
“M3GAN 2.0” doesn’t do the title character many favors. Still, our girl remains a magnetic presence onscreen – and on computer screens, even when she’s being a cyber-nuisance. Let’s hope the next time we see her, it’s an actual upgrade.
How to watch ‘M3GAN 2.0’
The sci-fi action sequel “M3GAN 2.0” is in theaters June 27. The movie is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association “for strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language, sexual material, and brief drug references.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Megan 2.0’ sequel review: Movie in need of a better upgrade
