What a time it was in late 2022/early 2023 when the film world was shaken to its core by a four-foot-tall girlboss killer robot whose dance moves were only rivaled by her ability to slice and dice. Gerard Johnstone’s M3GAN was the perfect example of a movie knowing exactly what it wanted to be. It was genuinely creepy, thanks to the design of M3GAN as well as the uncanny valley atmosphere, creating a hair-raising horror-thriller that birthed a new horror icon. It never veered too far from reality, with its themes of humans’ overreliance on technology, grief, and the very current fear of the power of AI. But above all that, it was just a campy, fun, good time at the cinema, with a genuine sense of humor that put it far above the misery of Blumhouse’s latest offerings, which were too formulaic to be scary but too earnest to be camp. Its direct sequel, M3GAN 2.0, takes exactly what people loved about the original and heightens it to the nth degree. It’s wilder, more ridiculous, and a lot campier, leaning into the titular doll’s new status as a queer icon. Its plot is essentially the same as what Terminator 2: Judgment Day did with its AI killer. A new killer robot woman is unleashed on the world for far more nefarious reasons than Gemma (Allison Williams) could ever have anticipated, forcing her to bring M3GAN back to physical life to protect her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), and save the world. It’s equal parts charming, ridiculous, and compelling, especially with growing concerns around AI, people’s emotional attachment to it, and its ability to replace humans in the workforce. But M3GAN 2.0 isn’t here to be prescient or important; it just wants to give you a rip-roaring good time with these characters, and that’s exactly what it delivers.
‘M3GAN 2.0’ Ups the Stakes of the First Movie

It’s two years after the events of M3GAN, and Cady and Gemma are forever changed by their experience with the killer doll. Gemma was tried by the court of both law and public opinion for her reckless endangerment, and M3GAN’s murderous rampage has sparked a global debate about the safety of technology. At the center of this conversation is Gemma, who has written books on using technology safely and has started working at a foundation to push policies that make the digital space safer for humans. Cady understands how lucky she and Gemma are to be alive, but that doesn’t stop her from grieving her best friend, who helped her through the loss of her parents. Simultaneously, the American defense forces have built a new, similar AI humanoid robot off Gemma’s stolen designs but with a different consciousness, called AMELIA. She’s used to infiltrate a bunker in the Iranian-Turkish border (very jarring to see that up on the screen two minutes in), but she goes rogue and breaks all contact with the U.S. government. When she starts murdering everyone involved in her creation, Gemma is forced to rebuild M3GAN, whose consciousness stayed in Gemma’s virtual assistant, to help stop AMELIA and find out who is behind her rampage.

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‘M3GAN 2.0’ Just Earned Herself a Killer Rating

She’s back and better than ever.

With the first movie being about a killer robot coming between an aunt and niece, it’s safe to say that the sequel takes the stakes of the original and multiplies them tenfold. This doesn’t always work for a franchise, especially horror, as usually it’s the grounded, smaller scope of the story that engages viewers. But with a strong basis of compelling characters, a lovable villain, and apt humor, this series really could take the story to space or the depths of hell, and it would still be a joy to watch. This is mostly down to the characters, not just M3GAN but the humans around her, who ground this story and prevent it from ever becoming so whimsical and ridiculous that it loses grip on its own reality. Gemma forms a Frankenstein-monster relationship with her creation, and their dynamic is easily one of the script’s most interesting choices. We’re allowed to see Gemma beyond her responsibilities as a guardian to Cady, and as a person whose own genius has nearly led to her death, and now, the end of the world. Cady takes a backseat compared to the first movie, and that’s a welcome choice, as the rise in stakes means that Gemma and her world of high tech can take the spotlight. Still, like its predecessor, it manages to balance the humor, horror, and human emotions, and Cady and Gemma’s relationship with each other, as well as with M3GAN, is the needed dose of realism when you’re watching two killer girl dolls try to rip each other’s heads off.
M3GAN Is an Undisputed Horror and Action Icon

But, and this will come as a surprise to no one, M3GAN 2.0’s greatest strength is the same as the original movie’s: M3GAN herself. It may seem like a cop-out to take a character we were once meant to fear and now ask us to root for her, but the way the script subtly changes M3GAN’s character makes it a seamless transition. She’s endlessly charming, both snarky and practical, and is never tired of shooting insults at Gemma. Whether she’s walking through screens, in the body of an adorable little digital puppet, or her iconic young girl body, M3GAN is a villain as fun and immediately likable as the icons who’ve walked before her, like Freddy Krueger or Hannibal Lecter. Her personality is allowed to blossom, and the ethics surrounding Gemma’s part in her destruction make it a whole lot easier to not just understand but genuinely root for M3GAN this time around. The night before seeing the sequel, I rewatched M3GAN on a streaming service here in the UK with ads. Two of the repeated commercials I was shown were for the AI glasses from Ray-Ban and the AI assistant feature on a new smartphone. No matter which way you look, the growth of AI is undeniable, and for anyone with a functioning frontal cortex, it’s a terrifying issue. Job losses, the death of creativity, and a general depletion in integrity and appreciation for human effort are all extremely harmful byproducts of AI technology. This isn’t to mention the disconcerting number of suicides of people who became emotionally attached to AI software. M3GAN 2.0 does touch on many of these issues, but it’s also not aiming to be the most prescient or current movie of 2025’s slate. Its reflection of today’s issues does make up the basis of the story, but it all comes back to both these movies’ greatest attribute: They know exactly what type of movie they are. The sequel is just as understanding of this, and focuses more on action sequences, campy one-liners, and letting M3GAN do her thing. It’s a valuable lesson for a lot of filmmakers, especially in horror, that if you’re making a movie that concerns prevalent issues of today’s world, that doesn’t mean they have to take up the entire story. M3GAN 2.0 is probably one of the most jarring depictions of AI gone wrong, but it’s also a fast-paced, high-octane action flick with lines like “Hold onto your vaginas.” Speaking of action, the well-paced script paired with some excellent fight sequences makes the sequel’s longer runtime of two hours fly by. Writer-director Gerard Johnstone embellishes all corners of the movie to make this story bigger and better, from the costuming to the set pieces to the pacing. AMELIA and M3GAN’s fights are enthralling to watch, as laws of physics are stretched in the same larger-than-life way that makes the 2000s Charlie’s Angels movies such beloved classics. With so many recent female-led action movies missing the mark, M3GAN 2.0 does feel like a return to those 2000s movies and how they blended campy humor, compelling characters, and well-crafted, high-energy fight scenes.
The Cast of ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Grounds the Campy Ridiculous Humor

Image Via Universal

The cast of both these movies is a huge factor in their being able to sell such a wild premise. In the first film, the chemistry between Williams and McGraw was crucial to giving the story an emotional core, and that still stands for the sequel. Williams’s built-in earnestness that she used to comedic genius in Girls is still her secret weapon, as Gemma is the exact opposite of M3GAN’s snark, and their creator-monster dynamic gives us a lot of laughs but also an interesting exploration of the morality of creating AI. But, the most credit has to be given to Jenna Davis, the voice of M3GAN. Aided by Amie Donald, who performs the physical version of the character, Davis is crucial to making M3GAN a new horror icon. Her snark, charm, delivery of one-liners, and singing voice are all heavily relied on to make the killer doll an unlikely hero we want to invest in. Davis ensures every word that comes out of M3GAN’s mouth is still laden with humor or emotion despite the robotic remixes. It is a masterclass in voice acting, and a campy, snarky, horror performance that I’m sure the King himself, Robert Englund, would be proud of. M3GAN 2.0 isn’t only a sequel that successfully expands on the universe and lore built by its predecessor, but it also solidifies its titular character as a new horror icon. It’s one of the very few modern movies that understands camp humor, while still giving us creepy, atmospheric scenes and exciting, well-staged fight sequences. Some will definitely not be able to buy into the ridiculousness of it all, but if you can, you’ll be rewarded with a great time at the cinema. If you thought after the first movie that this killer doll was just a viral blip in the world, M3GAN 2.0 is here to tell you in the most deliciously over-the-top way that you are very wrong. M3GAN 2.0 comes to theaters on June 27.

M3GAN 2.0

M3GAN 2.0 is a bigger, better, and campier sequel that solidifies this killer doll’s horror icon status.

Release Date

June 27, 2025

Runtime

119 Minutes

Director

Gerard Johnstone

Writers

Gerard Johnstone, James Wan, Akela Cooper

Pros & Cons

M3GAN as a character is irressistibly likable, equal parts charming and snarky.
Allison WIlliams and the rest of the cast do a great job of grounding the material and giving the story an emotional crux.
The fight scenes are exhilarating, giving the movie lots of action and energy.

Some may not be able to buy into the ridiculous premise.