M3GAN 2.0

Grade: C

M3GAN had her wide release on the first Friday of 2023, as part of an annual early-in-the-year Blumhouse dump that included 2024’s Night Swim and this year’s Wolf Man. M3GAN 2.0 goes in different directions than its predecessor. I’ll give it that. I managed to dislike it equally as much, just for different reasons.

The plot is so busy and detail-heavy that characters are constantly explaining it to each other. The title character, at one point, asks someone if they would prefer a print-out to read at their own pace. I needed one. There’s an international spy thriller element. The opening scene is so far removed from what we’d expect, that I wondered if I was in the right theater.

In the beginning, we find out that M3GAN’s software has been used to create a virtual person to help with sting operations. Her name is Amelia. It’s an acronym that I don’t remember, or care to look up. She has acquired a mind of her own, and gone rogue, so all eyes fall on M3GAN’s designer Gemma (Allison Williams) to – against her better judgment, considering what happened the last time – bring it back, like the Elton John song, and take care of Amelia.

From here, the movie is basically M3GAN vs Amelia. A problem, this time around, is that M3GAN, now an ally on the same side as the returning characters, is too nice to them. There are a couple of laughs to be had. At a party, M3GAN is offended by some cosplayers dancing The Robot. She feels it’s a stereotype. And there’s what I call cinematic or character karma here. Williams played Daniel Kaluuya’s girlfriend in Get Out. When you remember what direction that went, it’s amusing to see her on the other side of it, being put through a similar situation.

Of course, the door is left open for a potential M3GAN 3.0 – or they could just call it M3GAN. If there is a further installment (and there is a small part of me that hopes there will be), I’ll attend, mainly to see if they can do something with it that’s not just different, but better. M3GAN 2.0 may be a new version, but it’s no upgrade.

Grade: C