More laughter, less horror. Review of the movie M3GAN 2.0

The first part of M3GAN (2022) was a rather ingenious horror film, which also successfully exploited the topical topic of artificial intelligence and the potential dangers associated with it. Although the film had noticeable flaws, viewers and critics liked it enough to pay off almost 15 times ($12 million budget vs. $181.8 million box office). However, with M3GAN 2.0, the authors decided not to follow the proven path, but to try something new in terms of mood and combination of genres. The experiment turned out to be successful, so we got one of the funniest films of the year, although it has enough strange moments.

Two years have passed since the brutal incidents surrounding the AI-powered doll M3GAN. Its creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), is now actively promoting the ideas of strict but reasonable regulation of AI. At the same time, she is trying to build a good family with her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) and has even achieved significant success in this. However, a new threat appears on the horizon in the form of the robot Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno). Only M3GAN is able to cope with her, but Gemma and Cady's alliance with the one who tried to ruin their lives from the very beginning involves a huge number of conflicts and a general atmosphere of distrust.

I'll be honest: I didn't understand the first part of M3GAN at all. This 2022 film was at the same time a warning about the hidden threat of artificial intelligence, a drama about attempts to create a new family after a tragedy, and a strange farce that leveled all the horror from the main villain with strange dances, songs, and movements. On an emotional level, all these elements did not connect into a single canvas for me, so after watching I was disappointed. And then I was even more surprised when it turned out that M3GAN is actually one of Blumhouse Productions' modern hits.

So believe me when I say that M3GAN 2.0 is a good movie. And to become one, its team had only to completely abandon the elements of the horror genre. That is, yes, there are still sudden moments, suspense and some visually unpleasant scenes in the film. But their role has been significantly reduced and is rather a kind of tribute to the legacy of Blumhouse Productions, which regularly supplies us with horror films of varying degrees of quality. But the company's perseverance is definitely not to be taken for granted.

M3GAN 2.0 has turned into, in a good way, a crazy medley of various thoughts about artificial intelligence. Still, since the release of the first part, this technological sphere has been developing rapidly. Therefore, the screenwriters decided to talk about everything at once. Otherwise, such an approach might seem too chaotic, but this film fully accepts its own chaos and is even proud of it. Therefore, the variety of situations and topics for the main characters' dialogues becomes only a plus.

The main star of the film is M3GAN herself. Even in the first part, she had a lot of charisma, but the second part twists it 1000%. Almost every phrase of M3GAN is an apt jab at living people or a pertinent remark about the relationship between humanity and AI. Her movements, looks and decisions attract attention, and by the end of the film you catch yourself thinking that you already sincerely love M3GAN, and want more similar stories from the film series. The advertising campaign turned out to be appropriate: in one of the interviews, M3GAN stated that she could easily deal with the animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy's.

Putting one robot against another may seem like a somewhat banal idea. However, Amelia, played by Ukrainian Ivanna Sakhno, turned out to be an interesting character. She looks more serious and dangerous even at the level of plasticity of movements, especially in contrast to the more "puppet" M3GAN. One can only be glad that the Ukrainian managed to get such a notable role.

M3GAN 2.0 has enough action scenes with thoughtful choreography that can compete even with modern action movies. In addition, the film crew creatively depicts more robotic and artificial movements. M3GAN bends unnaturally and uses strength where a person is incapable of anything. Thus, the animatronic gains an advantage on the battlefield, and at the same time pleases the audience.

Of course, with the new tone, M3GAN 2.0 has enough jokes. They are also diverse in the film: there is both sharp satire and more primitive jokes about sex. There was even a place for cute moments, which for me became one of the brightest in the film. However, in some moments the jokes came out too primitive and even stupid.

The charm of M3GAN 2.0 noticeably decreases in the final third, when the whole truth comes to the surface, and the heroes are left only to deal with the consequences. At this point, the film begins to resemble a standard 1990s action movie, only with a charismatic animatronic and her antagonist in the main roles. Events take a predictable path, so the effect of surprise, on which much was based before, ceases to work.

But the overall impression after watching such details still do not spoil. You are more likely to remember the singing and dancing of M3GAN or references to RoboCop and The Thing. Yes, you should not expect too much seriousness from the story, although it nicely combines the themes of raising children and developing AI. However, as an entertaining movie M3GAN 2.0 works perfectly.

The most interesting thing is that the second part perfectly understands the contrast with the first and turns it into an advantage. After all, if it were just an independent story, it would definitely not attract so much. It is the knowledge of the events and the general atmosphere of the first film that turns the sequel into an interesting and successful experiment. And now M3GAN has every chance of becoming a cult character.