M3GAN 2.0 ★★★★

Released: 27 June 2025

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Starring: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Jenna Davis, Amie Donald, Ivanna Sakhno, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Aristotle Athari & Jemaine Clement

In the age of IP and nostalgic familiarity, you have to give M3GAN 2.0 credit for seeking something different for its sequel. Writer and director Gerald Johnstone could have delivered more of the same from its viral TikTok sensation of a first film – a campy comedic horror flick on the dangers of artificial intelligence with a ‘yasss queen’ attitude from its titular character. Throw in a bit of violence, a few one-liners and David Guetta’s Titanium on repeat, and it’s a recycled retread for success, right? Well, that’s not the energy running through 2.0’s digital interface. The hardware is very much the same: the core cast of Allison Williams (Gemma) and Violet McGraw (Cady) return, its cautionary tale vibes on technology remain (with some new conversations to boot), and M3GAN can still dish out put-downs like “hold on to your vaginas!” It’s the software that receives the upgrade, trading its horror roots for a sci-fi/action-comedy romp. It’s a change you have to be willing to accept from the start, yet Johnstone’s risky curve ball is still silly and wildly entertaining.

Admittedly, Johnstone’s script lacks the nuanced touch writer Akela Cooper brought to its predecessor. The ‘kitchen sink’ mentality he adopts throws every technological ingredient into the AI soup bowl, hoping its flavourful concept doesn’t overboil. The result is somewhat messy and overstuffed, trying too hard to eclipse the original whilst running out of steam towards the end. But the key to 2.0’s enjoyment comes through how much it tries to evolve our expectations – for better or for worse.

Moulded like a parody of 90s action cinema – most specifically and unashamedly James Cameron’s Terminator 2 – 2.0 sees M3GAN reborn like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 model going head-to-head with its upgraded counterpart; Ivanna Sakhno’s Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android, or Amelia for short. In this end-of-the-world AI adventure, Amelia is the M3GAN copycat in the military’s arsenal, and like Ronseal, she’s programmed to infiltrate and eliminate without remorse. It’s all in a day’s work in the laughable cold open, spun out of a spoof spy film where Amelia can travel to “somewhere on the Turkish/Iranian border” and punch an entire head clean off an enemy combatant. When she predictably goes off script, she kills her asset and embarks on a revenge mission against her creators.

By fully leaning into its dystopian sci-fi canvas, no one is left unscathed in Johnstone’s examination of AI accountability. It takes down everyone: you have your sleazy rich tech bros (an absurd performance by Flight of the Conchords star Jermaine Clement). Gemma’s original programming of M3GAN comes under further scrutiny whilst the government’s lack of regulation means it’s a technological ‘free-for-all’. It’s a bleakness driven by humanity’s propensity for power, control and self-destruction with the AI robot creations left to pick up the messy pieces of their artificial code. It all coincides with timely conversations about how much of technology’s ‘advancements’ are we prepared to allow into our daily lives. Should Johnstone and producing partner Blumhouse seek a third film, that landscape would’ve changed drastically again.  

The current trend explains 2.0’s swift tonal change in comparison to its 2022 predecessor. In the years since their last outing, Gemma has transformed herself into a leading advocate for safer AI laws and protection. Meanwhile, aspiring computer scientist Cady indulges in her love of Steven Seagal movies and can ‘kick ass and take names’ thanks to her self-defence classes. But that fear running through Johnstone’s soft reboot positions the film as a catalyst between innovation and revolution. Exo suits and neuro chips (with a light touch of Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade in its 3rd act) are always pitted in direct contrast to humanity’s curiosity for expansion. Can AI and humankind work together? Can the species co-exist, especially when reconciliation and contrition are its motivations? By the time M3GAN shows up taunting Gemma through the cloud space taking over every smart home device in her home, they’re forced to find a mutual understanding.

Not all of Johnstone’s myth-building ties together as cohesively as it wants to, biting off more than it can chew for one cinematic sitting. Yet the payoff for the multitude of pendulum swings within its story is watching M3GAN getting herself back into the game, hacking the absurdity levels to eleven and leaving the backdoor open for some genuine laugh-out-loud silliness. She learns kung-fu in her upgraded body, edited as if it belonged in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. She can fly in a wingsuit as if she were Tom Cruise in a Mission: Impossible film. In perhaps the film’s best moment, the robot sings to Gemma using the wildest song choice imaginable when speaking about motherhood. M3GAN is unquestionably the star of the show and Johnstone’s direction keeps that satisfaction train rolling.

‘Bigger’ doesn’t always mean ‘better’ but at least M3GAN 2.0’s madcap caper is unapologetic for what it stands for. With tons of fun and brimming with ridiculousness, it’s a system upgrade worth watching.