@Courtesy of Universal Pictures

After the remarkable box office success of the first M3gan ($95 million grossed only in the U.S. Market, $180 million worldwide, a huge haul for a production budget of $12 million) it was virtually impossible for Jason Blum‘s Blumhouse and James Wan‘s Atomic Monster to pass up the opportunity for a second installment. Since these are two producers who still love genre cinema as well as obviously profit, the confirmed director Gerard Johnstone was likely asked to make a second installment that did not slavishly follow the coordinates of the original.

And so he did: first of all, M3GAN 2.0 brings to the surface more of the black comedy cues we already saw in the first chapter, exploiting them mainly for a rather sharp commentary discourse towards our present now engulfed by artificial intelligence. Especially in the first half, this sequel contains moments of objectively tasty comedy, a compendium of gimmicks that comic character actors such as Brian Jordan Alvarez and newcomers Jemaine Clement and Timm Sharp know how to exploit with precision and rhythm.

Another factor that makes the second installment of the creepy doll/android adventures more than enjoyable is the script’s homage to the history of sci-fi cinema, from its early days to the most modern blockbusters. And we’re talking about masterpieces that really go back decades, such as Fritz Lang‘s masterpiece Metropolis, released way back in 1927.

@Courtesy of Universal Pictures

If you just have an ordinary knowledge of science fiction or more generally action cinema, you will find in M3GAN 2.0 more or less explicit references to such cornerstones as Terminator, the Mission: Impossible franchise, and so on. It is a rollercoaster of guilty pleasures that have been incorporated into the script without distorting its objective, so tasty to enjoy if you can recognize them but not invasive, because this second installment has been crafted by Johnstone with undoubted competence, proving that you can change course while keeping a franchise consistently intriguing.

M3GAN 2.0 in fact starts out as a rather intriguing spy-thriller, immediately letting the viewer know that it is intended to explore different territories from the horror/action of the first movie, and then continues on a spirited tone that offers well-orchestrated cinematic moments. Admittedly, it lacks the tension inherent in the horror cinema, but this shortcoming is compensated for by a show that possesses the necessary narrative strenght to keep the level of attention consistently high, when not with action through comic effective moments.

The only big  flaw in M3GAN 2.0 lies in an ending that, as is almost always the case in contemporary entertainment cinema, wants to put too much in roder to guarantee the audience a pyrotechnic spectacle, even when there would be no need for it. This way the twists and turns, the tight editing, and the fight scenes lose some of the cinephile flavor and irreverent comedy tone that the film had successfully explored earlier.

@Courtesy of Universal Pictures

M3GAN 2.0 ends in a much more conventional manner than how it began, and this affects – even if not decisively – the final result. Switching to the cast, as already mentioned the sidekicks intended to provide the right amount of irony turn out to be more valuable than the main actors, especially an Allison Williams who turns out being oddly less effective than in the past, in a couple of scenes almost “bamboozled”. Even the new “villain” Ivanna Sakhno (Ahsoka on Disney +) possesses stage presence but not yet the acting skills needed to develop Amelia’s character with the aura of danger that would have enhanced her scenes. 

In the end though, it doesn’t really matter: M3GAN 2.0 is an entertaining film that dares to try new ways compared to its predecessor and succeeds in its intent to offer something new, at times fresh, no doubt intelligently and functionally conceived with respect to the production means at hand. 

@Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Rate: B-

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Here’s the trailer for M3GAN 2.0: