'Megan 2.0' review: Blumhouse sequel gets a major downgrade

Courtesy of Universal/Blumhouse

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A.I. and killer robots turning on their human creators wasn’t exactly a novel concept when the original “M3GAN” premiered in 2023, but it struck a nerve by delivering a villain who slayed both literally and figuratively. That first film kept things simple: a mostly domestic setting, modest set pieces, and a tight narrative about a killer AI doll willing to do anything to protect her BFF.

“M3GAN 2.0”, on the other hand, is much bigger, maybe too big for its own good. The film opens with a covert military operation inside an Iranian bunker, complete with Defense Department officials monitoring the scene like they’re in a Tom Clancy thriller. If you hadn’t seen the original, you might wonder what movie you just walked into. And even if you had, you still might be asking the same question.

Most of the creative team from the first film returns, but this time they’ve abandoned the small-scale, campy horror-comedy vibe in favor of full-blown action spectacle. Think less “Child’s Play,” more “Terminator 2.” The shift in tone and genre is jarring, and not the upgrade the title implies.

Now we’ve got two AI robot villains battling for supremacy, with M3GAN positioned somewhere between villain and anti-hero. There are secret bunkers, wingsuit chases, maniacal human villains, and high-speed car chases. The fate of the human race is suddenly at stake. At times, it feels more like a scrapped “Mission: Impossible” spec script than a “M3GAN” sequel. Whatever spark or identity the original had is buried beneath glossy spectacle. Director and co-writer Gerald Johnson and writer Akela Cooper throw so much money and chaos at the screen, they seem to forget what audiences loved about the first film in the first place.

The plot centers around the U.S. government’s interest in regulating AI, a timely topic given the ongoing rise of platforms like ChatGPT. Allison Williams returns as Gemma, M3GAN’s creator, now an outspoken advocate for AI regulation. Her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is a budding computer programmer with an oddly specific obsession with Steven Seagal movies. As ever, M3GAN’s top priority is Cady’s safety. And no, she didn’t actually die at the end of the first film, she’s just been lurking in the cloud, waiting for her comeback moment.

That moment arrives when a new AI menace named Amelia threatens the world. M3GAN is brought back to help stop her, and suddenly, the killer doll from the first movie is our best shot at survival. There are flashes of entertainment here,particularly when M3GAN and Amelia go head-to-head, but it’s not enough. A deranged needle drop of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” offers a moment of unhinged camp, but rather than elevate the material, it just reminds us of what the sequel is missing: the bite, the wit, and the weird fun that made the original “M3GAN” so memorable.

Grade: D+ 

MEGAN 2.0 is now playing in theaters.