The first M3GAN movie was kinda watchable, like, it was campy, weird, and sometimes funny without trying too hard.
This one though?? So bad. I already had low expectations from the trailer, and thank god, because M3GAN 2.0 was like a robot-doll meets superhero fever dream written by a 10-year-old.
Where do I even start? M3GAN is supposed to be scary and psychotic, right? But here she just feels random. Like one minute she’s cracking jokes, the next she’s giving life advice, then she’s flying??? With another robot??? What was that?
Many of us in the audience burst out laughing during scenes that weren’t meant to be funny. That’s when you know it’s bad.
The plot? A full-on mess. They tried to make a commentary on AI and tech regulation, but it just feels way too try-hard. As someone living in the actual AI age, I don’t need to be spoon-fed a TED Talk disguised as a killer doll sequel.
Also, Gemma?? You created M3GAN. You’re a tech genius. And you’re shocked that the program survived after only destroying the hardware?? Be serious. You went on a whole apology tour, wrote a book called Modern Moderation, have a tech organisation, and still somehow didn’t think to check if the code lived on? Make it make sense.
The only reason to watch this is that it was fully filmed in Auckland. There are so many recognisable places that it became a fun little “spot the location” game. Spark Arena got its moment. So yes, I did enjoy that.
And, credit where it’s due: the editing, animatronics, and visual effects were insane. The tech side of this movie? Beautiful. It’s just everything else that fell apart.
Oh, and AMELIA. She’s the new fembot terminator, supposed to be this unstoppable military-grade threat, but just ends up being boring. Meanwhile, M3GAN, as chaotic as she is, at least has some flair. That scene where she shows up at the tech convention in an incredibly bright pink outfit. Super!
The final showdown was just ridiculous. The villain ended up being Gemma’s new reporter/security expert boyfriend, who isn’t even her type – but that plot twist wasn’t enough to save the whole mess.
M3GAN 2.0 is just too much and not scary, and way too long!
