A noisy, glitchy sequel

Did you love ‘M3GAN’ for its sharp wit, creepy charm and that unforgettable hallway dance? Same here. That’s why ‘M3GAN 2.0’ might feel like a bit of a letdown. It lands like a software update no one really asked for. It’s shinier, louder and desperate to prove it’s “smarter”, while mostly recycling old code under a glossy new interface.

Where the original film balanced creepy thrills with sharp satire on parenting, grief and tech addiction, this sequel seems more interested in chasing its own meme-ability. The result? A film that’s more focused on going viral than saying anything worth remembering.

So, what happens after M3GAN’s deadly dance and glitchy rampage? Two years later, roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) has traded labs for lecture halls, is now a bestselling author and a fierce advocate for AI regulation. But here’s the catch, she didn’t really shut M3GAN down. The killer doll’s core code lives on, tucked inside a harmless-looking mini-bot, locked away like a ticking time bomb.

Enter AMELIA, a military-grade robot built by a rogue defence contractor who has clearly never seen a sci-fi movie. Surprise, surprise: AMELIA goes rogue, becomes self-aware and decides humanity’s time is up. Think ‘Terminator’, but with sleeker design and fewer ethics.

Then comes Cady (Violet McGraw), Gemma’s niece, still haunted by the past but sharper than ever. When the world teeters on the brink of an AI apocalypse, she makes a bold move. Revive M3GAN. Not just revive, upgrade her. Because if you want to beat a rogue AI, you send in the original queen of tech-induced terror.

But here’s the real question: can you really control a weapon like M3GAN twice? Or is Gemma about to unleash something even worse than AMELIA?

What could’ve been a smart escalation turns into a messy sequel that trades satire for explosions and nuance for noise. The scares are tame, the emotional stakes are recycled and M3GAN herself, once the breakout star, is sidelined for half the film. Even her return feels more like fan service than plot payoff.

If the original felt like a fresh, weird little gem, this one plays like an overproduced Insta reboot trying too hard to go viral.

Performances are a mixed bag. Allison Williams as Gemma tries to anchor the film with some emotional weight, but the script offers her little to work with beyond generic redemption cliches. Ivanna Sakhno’s AMELIA has screen presence but is underdeveloped as a villain, lacking the chilling edge needed to make the threat feel real.

Visually, the movie looks clean, maybe too clean. It trades the gritty tension of the first film for an overlit aesthetic that drains some of the dread. The kills are bloodless, the suspense predictable, and even the big showdowns feel like they’re going through the motions. You can almost see the checklist. Tech malfunction? Check. Sassy one-liner? Check. Teaser for a spin-off? Of course.

‘M3GAN 2.0’ wants to be a high-gloss thrill ride with brains, but it mostly banks on brand recognition and aesthetic polish. M3GAN the character still works. But the soul? That got left behind in version 1.0.

‘M3GAN 2.0’ is a noisy, overambitious sequel that ditches the original’s horror and emotional core for a muddled mix of action, comedy and satire that rarely works. Its convoluted plot, dull action, and tonal confusion make it a frustrating watch, leaving one hoping that future instalments will return to the chilling, focused storytelling that made the first film a standout.

For now, the second outing of ‘M3GAN’ is a disappointing detour that lacks the bite and wit that made the original so memorable.

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