Still scarred from their battle with killer doll M3GAN (Amie Donald), Gemma (Allison Williams) and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) are trying to rebuild their lives. Gemma and her team – Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps) – are working on a new project but they face a huge decision when they discover they may have to resurrect M3GAN in order to defeat a military grade weapon known as Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno). Amelia was built using M3GAN’s underlying technology and when she goes rogue, it seems like M3GAN is the only person that can stop her.
‘M3GAN 2.0’ should have been a sure-fire box office success. The original film, released in 2022, made a huge $181.8 million at the global box office against a moderate $12 million budget. M3GAN became a viral meme, thanks to her dance moves, and the film reached cult classic status incredibly classic. That should have meant a sequel was a big money no brainer but upon its release it flopped. With a budget estimated in the range of $15 – $25 million, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ only reached $39.1 million at the global box office and the reviews were wildly divisive. Now the film has been released on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K UHD (this review is based on the 4K UHD release) so is it a bad film or did it just not capitalise on the successful formula of the first film?
Having no seen the film, I can confidently say that ‘M3GAN 2.0’ isn’t a bad film. I actually really enjoyed it and was happy to lose myself in the popcorn nonsense that it served up. What is pretty obvious though is that the switch in genre, for some reason I haven’t been able to fathom, may be the reason why audiences didn’t flock to see it. The original film was an unnerving look at how AI is seeping into our everyday lives, and it highlighted the dangers it poses. M3GAN goes from being a programmed robot to essentially a sentient being with her own thoughts and feelings, and that sends her off the rails.
In this sequel, it’s a long time before we actually see M3GAN. Gemma is understandably reluctant to bring the robot back in her life but when she realises that it may be the only way to stop the murderous Amelia, she decides she has no choice. First putting M3GAN inside a different robot body, Gemma eventually relents and unleashes the real M3GAN once again. Can things truly be different this time or will M3GAN’s killer instincts take over?
The overall feel of the film is a sci-fi action adventure and there are no elements of the thriller/horror of the first film. ‘M3GAN 2.0’ is even sillier than the first film, and it relies too much on action sequences to carry it. There are further attempts to explore the wider impact of AI but a lot of that is lost in the action. Honestly, I still enjoyed the film for what it was and it’s the textbook definition of a popcorn flick, but I can understand why audiences wanted a sequel more like the first film.
The cast is as reliable as it was in the first film. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw play characters you can root for, Brian Jordan Alvarez offers some comedic relief as Gemma’s colleague Cole and new addition Ivanna Sakhno convinces as the dastardly Amelia. Jemaine Clement chews the scenery in a small role, that the film could have done without, but otherwise the cast is solid.
The 4K UHD release of the film features the Unrated and the Theatrical Versions of the film. With only 1-minute of extra footage, it’s a bit of a sales gimmick in all honesty. There’s also a handful of featurettes that take you behind the scenes of the film, with a focus on the AI aspects of the story. The 4K UHD version also boasts a pristine picture and superior Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 sound, which does sound superb.
‘M3GAN 2.0’ is a perfectly enjoyable sci-fi action film, it’s just not the sequel audiences wanted or expected. Given how poorly the film performed at the box office, I wouldn’t expect to see M3GAN returning any time soon and that’s a shame as she could have been a solid franchise. If you go in expecting to be entertained, you won’t be disappointed, but if you’re expecting viral moments like the first film had and an underlying sense of dread, this sequel serves up neither.
Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Ivanna Sakhno, Jemaine Clement Director: Gerard Johnstone Writers: Gerard Johnstone (screenplay & story), Akela Cooper (story) Certificate: 15 Duration: 120 mins Released by: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Release date: 29th September 2025 Buy ‘M3GAN 2.0’ now
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