Movie Review: M3GAN 2.0

Following the critical and commercial success of M3GAN in 2022, it was a foregone conclusion that a sequel to the horror/comedy/thriller hybrid was an inevitability. What could be considered unexpected though, is that the film’s sequel M3GAN 2.0 proves to be as entertaining and crowd-pleasing as its predecessor.

Taking place two years following the events depicted in the first film, M3GAN 2.0 begins with the introduction of a new military-grade version of M3GAN called Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno) who is carrying out covert missions for the government. But, when Amelia begins displaying signs of self-awareness and appears on the verge of going rogue, M3GAN’s creator Gemma (Alison Williams) comes to the conclusion that M3GAN (Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) may be the only ally she and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) have against the new homicidal A.I. out to destroy them.

Returning director Gerard Johnstone returns to helm this installment while also serving as the sole screenwriter this time around. He manages to keep the film firmly in the fun column with only a touch of horror sprinkled throughout. Johnstone realizes that a film of this ilk is only as entertaining if the audience is allowed in on the joke and he embraces that to its fullest potential. To its credit, the film portrays all of its characters – including the “artificial” ones – with honesty and integrity as well as affording them real emotions. This gives the film a heart that raises the stakes the characters undertake to another level.

As Cady and Gemma (McGraw and Williams, respectively), do a fine job of carrying the film from beginning to end. Similarly, Jemaine Clement and Aristotle Athari serve well as foils advancing the plot forward when necessary. Ivanna Sakhno’s portrayal of Amelia is simultaneously sympathetic and terrifying. Finally, Amie Donald’s return as M3GAN and Jenna Davis’s performance as her voice imbues the titular character with humor and humanity that echoes throughout the film.

Amie Donald in “M3GAN 2.0.” Photo by Geoffrey Short/Universal Picture – © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Overall, the film is a sleek piece of work. Cinematography by Toby Oliver often gives the film a video-game like quality and the dynamic editing of Jeff McEvoy allows the action to unfurl at a furious pace without letting on what effects are practical and which are not. Chris Bacon’s score echoes throughout providing a backdrop that accents the shifts in tones and moods in an almost effortless way.

Even though sequels to films like M3GAN rarely live up to their predecessors and often fail to deliver anything of consequence to audiences, M3GAN 2.0 proves to be one of those rare exceptions that succeeds in delivering the goods and turns out to be a thoroughly entertaining and engaging film in its own right.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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