M3GAN 2.0 – Movie Reviews by Ry!

M3GAN 2.0 – Sentient of the Protector: I am your AI Companion

In the wake of original ideas, one might think about … how do we go further.  With a creative mind, there is always a thought to push boundaries to see how far one can go.  For any form of storytelling, going beyond can provide a unique spark, but it is a place where ‘jumping the shark’ becomes a real thing.  In this review, I look at the latest entry in a recent popular franchise.  With this latest chapter, the journey of a protective AI is pushed into realms of obscurity.  For all the convoluted mess, M3GAN 2.0 is a melting pot of unique ideas that puts into question, what does it truly mean to be a protector.

When a newly developed AI begins to cause terror, a conflicted programmer must resurrect another deadly AI hoping it will be more than what it was originally programed to be.  With the original film (M3GAN), there was an infusion of horror and comedy that provided a platform where emotions and fervor came together.  With this next chapter, it takes that idea of ‘what is AI’ and pushes it into another realm of obscurity.  In the beginning, we come into this film through the ‘drop-in method’ where we are introduced to a military grade AI, Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno).  Through a mission like action sequence and convenient plot devices, Amelia becomes ‘sentient’ and goes off on a personal vendetta.  This change leads her on a destructive path that puts the creator of M3gan, Gemma (Allison Williams) and her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw) in danger.  This threat forces Gemma into a tough position on what to do.  After another series of action and comical like scenes, she decides she must rebuild M3GAN (voiced: Jenna Davis) to help stop this new AI threat.  On the surface, the AI dilemma is still prevalent within this sequel.  This chapter continues to pit thematic appeals of what this technology can be, but also the obvious threat when risk and creativity become one in the same.  With M3GAN, we have a character that delves into the conflict of her program, one where she dances with the idea of existence with her reality.  With Amelia, she pushes through with a specific directive that puts her at a crossroads of being alive and having empathy for humanity.  The themes are played out very well, but eventually get drowned out by the gimmicky displays of obscurity with genres and situations.  For the good that happens with M3GAN, Gemma and Cady, everything else is driven through bombastic scenes, overtly comical action and heavy expositional dialogue.  It is these moments that drown the experience, causing situations to feel obvious for the sake of moving forward.

As M3GAN and crew continue their push to stop the autonomous AI, the forward momentum of the journey starts to unravel under the weight of unnecessary plot threads and convoluted layers of explanation.  As the filmmakers dance between the simple premise and unneeded plot threads, the journey hits a crossroads of self-awareness.  As things begin to shift away from the foundational themes, it leads into a place where ‘anything goes’ for the sake of pushing boundaries.  This leads into a third act of more comical moments, over-the-top actions, and the ubiquitous showdown of ‘good vs. evil’.  We get the obvious face-to-face that builds up to the heroes triumph climax and epilogue.  M3GAN 2.0 is a mix bag of great thematic appeals and unnecessary bloat.  For fans of the IP, this can be a fun experience at the theaters.  For everyone else, I say … this is a good Friday night at home.

Full Score – 2.5 out of 5 (Friday Night Rental)