M3GAN 2.0, the sequel to the unexpected hit horror-comedy, ups the ante with a Terminator 2-inspired plotline featuring an even more evil android named Amelia. This time around, writer/director Gerard Johnstone leans into the campiness of its premise, making it a full-on action film with tons of gunplay and hand-to-hand combat.
The movie centers on Gemma (Allison Williams), the engineer who created M3GAN, and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) as they team up with a tech ethicist to push for stronger technology regulation. The existence of Amelia, an android built from M3GAN’s design, proves their point, and it becomes clear that M3GAN didn’t really die in the first film but was secretly watching her niece via smart home devices.
M3GAN gets a new upgraded body, which leads to a thrilling action sequence as she infiltrates a tech lab to save Cady. The movie balances smart commentary on AI autonomy, technology regulation, and ethics with sheer summer movie fun, making it an entertaining watch. Johnstone’s references to classic schlocky action cinema and his own geekiness add to the film’s charm.
While M3GAN 2.0 runs close to two hours, it never feels like a slog compared to The Final Reckoning. By poking fun at AI apocalypse predictions, the movie offers a more lighthearted take on an impending doom scenario, making it a better way to cope with our tech-obsessed world.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/m3gan-20-review-the-ai-camp-queen-pulls-a-terminator-2-160049818.html