When one considers a sequel, there are a handful of expectations in mind – bigger, better, more. For horror films, this generally means a greater focus on the eponymous monster at its core and less emphasis on the characters, who will invariably suffer more gruesome and elaborate death scenes. Generally, you don’t see a longer runtime, unless it is a handful of minutes here and there. Then again, it usually takes a horror series a few entries to alter the core concept of its methodology. Not so with M3GAN 2.0, which tossed out horror in favor of science fiction and action.
It is incredibly bold to alter the core fabric of a successful film for its sequel, and even more daring to not hide that fact in any of your marketing. M3GAN 2.0 did not bill itself as a horror sequel to the surprise 2023 hit, M3GAN, which was one of the many reasons I decided to go see it. My only gripe with the initial film was mitigated by its home release, which turned the PG-13 horror film into an Unrated cut that restored much of the graphic content cut to appease a general audience. This entry will also see an Unrated cut released. Still, it was evaluated under different metrics because it was categorized as a sci-fi film. Action and sci-fi films can get away with a bit of violence to a different degree than a slasher film can.
Yes, it was bold, but it did not pay off in the way that producers and stakeholders had expected it would at the box office. I would, however, argue that M3GAN was in a similar vein to Hollow Man (2000) than Chucky (1988), despite a killer doll being the killer. Regardless of that particular quibble, M3GAN 2.0 took a major swing and did not hide it, something more films could learn from. I was not expecting a rehash of M3GAN, even if some audience members apparently did. I was sold a sci-fi action film – how many slasher films have their slowly redeemed main villain paragliding through California? And that was what I received. When one considers that, of the approximately $38 million box office haul the film took home, $31 million came from the opening weekend, the problem becomes clear as day. Word of mouth.
Would this movie have received a warmer reception if the Unrated, or even an R-rated, cut were released in theaters? Probably not. M3GAN 2.0 was formed around the belief that the titular character would be why audiences returned, with a slew of genre-shifting sequels planned in the wake of its expected success. There are major differences between horror’s subgenres, and sci-fi/action ones tend to have a different core audience than standard slasher with sci-fi elements. The latter felt burned while the former had no interest in the franchise, revealing the cardinal sin of filmmaking – don’t alienate your audience.
M3GAN 2.0 takes place two years after its predecessor, with Gemma (Allison Williams) having gone way in the other direction, acting as an advocate for AI regulation rather than expansion. She has partnered with Christian (Aristotle Athari), a cybersecurity expert and anti-AI activist, with whom she clearly has feelings. Her relationship with her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), has undergone a drastic change. No longer crushed under the weight of her parents’ sudden death paired with the trauma of the rogue efforts of M3GAN (Amie Donald playing the physical character and Jenna Davis, providing the character’s voice), she is now more invested in technology, not less. Gemma and Cady’s ability to communicate with one another has worsened because Gemma seeks to limit Cady’s time with technology, while struggling with her own trauma, never mind the legal ramifications. Together, they still form the heart of the story and bring out its more comedic elements.
But the film does not begin with Gemma and Cady and their efforts to recover from what they went through.
Instead, we are treated to one of the most realistic consequences of the technology Gemma and her team created – the United States Government co-opting it for its own purposes without fully grasping the consequences. Agent Sattler (Timm Sharp) has taken the basis for M3GAN and created AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno; Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics & Infiltration Android, in contrast to Model 3 Generative Android). Her programming focused on developing a replacement for human-led missions, ostensibly to protect human assets.
What the army colonel failed to grasp was the danger M3GAN posed when she went rogue. It was hardly a surprise when Amelia executed her mission flawlessly and then nonlethally extracted the target she had been sent to.
From there, it becomes a race against time as M3GAN makes her survival known and offers to help Gemma out of the mess that she now finds herself in – hunted by the U.S. government for suspected treason and, potentially, AMELIA, as the rogue android seeks to eliminate everybody responsible for her creation. Of course, that is what it appears like on the surface. The truth is far more complex and was heavily telegraphed to anyone with even a basic understanding of genre fare. Had M3GAN 2.0 gone in a vastly different direction as its latter half unfolded, it would have been a genuine surprise and a well-executed twist. That, of course, ignores the fact that not everybody is as excessively devoted to breaking down and analyzing the film they’re watching while they’re watching it. The villainous twist could easily come out of left field for some.
I appreciated that Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps), Gemma’s coworkers who survived M3GAN’s escape and went on to her murderous rampage in the first film, both returned as her partners. Gemma’s extreme shift in priorities is explored through them. While Cole and Tess also have reservations about reconstituting M3GAN, they are less opposed to working in technology than Gemma has become. With her aggressive pursuit of her advocate work to reel in AI, she has devoted less and less time to ensuring the company that is keeping them all afloat remains stable. They are not treated as satellites this time, even if they are clearly playing a support role in the film. That is always a delicate line to tread, and this film navigates it well.
The final major new player in this entry was Alton Appleton (Jemaine Clement), a corrupt tech billionaire who has been headhunting Gemma for the last two years. Viewing him as a cross between Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk with a dash of Bill Gates, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg thrown in does little to make his character palatable. Still, his invention – a neural implant that allows him to walk after a debilitating injury has left him paraplegic – is a genuinely revolutionary design. His company is revealed to control cloud computing for much of the country, to the point where he can control the grid of major cities like San Francisco with disastrous effect.
M3GAN 2.0 did not achieve great success, but, as I have often said, it is essential to view a film for what it is, not what it could have been. On its own merits as a sci-fi action film, it is a capable story that intentionally wears its themes on its sleeves for comedic effect.
Whether one appreciates M3GAN’s journey for redemption is rooted in how believable her initial programming should have been. Considering that she did not attempt to physically hurt Cady the first time around, she never violated that programming. That she seems to have grown to have grudging respect, or at least understanding, of Gemma was a fun evolution. It may not get a sequel, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I want to see just what kind of genre-roulette outing they had planned.
Lloydd Marshall Books 