Terrific
Summary
M3GAN 2.0 is a delight, boasting a cool concept and terrific sequences, especially the end fight between M3GAN and AMELIA.
Plot: Gemma (Allison Williams) is forced to rebuild M3GAN when a new robot, AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), based on M3GAN’s original design, puts her on her hit list.
Review: I enjoyed M3GAN immensely. Gerald Johnston created a hidden gem with his initial feature film, Housebound, and he followed it up with the iconic M3GAN character. She was creepy, demented, and utterly cool. Therefore, I was, of course, interested in seeing the follow-up movie.
Johnstone takes an entirely different direction with the sequel, shifting to a more action-focused style and storyline. M3GAN is the hero this time, which is odd, but when you consider it, a) M3GAN was obviously the best part of the original film, so giving her a face turn in this one makes sense and b), going with the same, “M3GAN is a murderous robot” would have been stale. So, kudos to him and the producers for wanting to go in a different direction and make the sequel just as good as the original.
That’s right…this movie is just as good as the original. If you told me that you liked this more than the original, I wouldn’t argue. This movie is that damn good. The storyline was interesting, giving M3GAN a robotic rival in AMELIA was a stroke of genius, and it has some great little action moments. Nothing beats the final fight between M3GAN and AMELIA, which has some cool moves and is shot perfectly.
M3GAN is so good in this movie, though, it’s undeniable. The filmmakers leaned into the cheekiness of the character, and the sequences where she’s uploaded and interacts as a Moxie robot are the funniest parts of the movie. I love her attitude in this movie, and having her learn altruism as part of her character development fits in perfectly with the storyline. The rest of the cast is excellent as well; I like Allison Williams immensely in the role, and the villain of the movie was a slimy piece of garbage. Jermaine Clement is a hoot in his limited role as a wacky and philandering billionaire.
If I have any complaints, the whole storyline involving the motherboard was a bit confusing; it’s the primary mission of the movie, and everyone treats it as all-powerful, but I’m still unsure what the hell it would actually do. Additionally, the runtime of 120 minutes was a bit too long, and could have been shortened by 15 minutes, especially the explanation where Allison Williams’s character becomes anti-AI, which goes nowhere.
I don’t have many gripes with this movie, though. It’s a ride from start to finish, and I love seeing M3GAN doing her thing. As I mentioned, the changes made for the sequel add to the experience instead of detracting from it, which is a rarity for a sequel. I highly recommend it, especially if you were a fan of the first film.