M3GAN 2.0 (2025) | Review
So, here’s the deal… You’re eagerly waiting for the sequel to your favorite creepy doll movie, expecting more deliciously campy horror, and instead, you get Mission: Impossible meets The Terminator with a side of family therapy. That’s M3GAN 2.0—a sequel that’s undergone such a dramatic genre transplant, you’d think it needed a system restore to factory settings.
Don’t get me wrong; Gerard Johnstone’s return to the director’s chair brings technical prowess and visual flair that would make even the most sophisticated AI jealous. But somewhere between the Turkish/Iranian border opening and the final showdown, M3GAN 2.0 executes what feels like a complete OS overhaul, trading its predecessor’s horror.exe for action-thriller.dmg. The result? A film that runs smoothly but somehow feels like it’s operating on different hardware entirely.
The plot has more patches than a beta release. Two years post-rampage, our favorite malevolent mannequin has been relegated to digital purgatory while her creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), has pivoted to becoming the AI safety influencer we never knew we needed. Meanwhile, niece Cady (Violet McGraw) has hit her teenage years with all the rebellious fervor of a jailbroken iPhone. What’s more, M3GAN’s source code has been bootlegged by military contractors to create AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), essentially M3GAN’s evil sister with government clearance and zero parental controls.
When AMELIA goes full Skynet and decides humans are more bug than feature, it’s up to our original digital diva to get a hardware upgrade and remind everyone who the real queen of artificial malice is. Think of it as the ultimate AI cage match, but with better choreography and significantly more property damage.
Jenna Davis continues to voice M3GAN with the perfect blend of synthetic sweetness and murderous malintent. She’s basically Siri if Siri had access to military-grade weapons and a serious attitude. Amie Donald’s physical performance remains flawless, bringing that uncanny valley energy that makes M3GAN simultaneously endearing and terrifying. Together, they create a character that’s part cutting-edge technology, part old-school movie monster.
Ivanna Sakhno as AMELIA brings a cold, calculating presence that’s effective but lacks M3GAN’s signature sass. She’s essentially M3GAN with all the personality patches removed… functional but forgettable. Meanwhile, the real MVP award goes to Jemaine Clement as tech mogul Alton Appleton, whose comedic timing is so precise it could synchronize atomic clocks. The man delivers exposition like he’s performing at the Comedy Cellar, turning potentially dry tech-speak into genuine entertainment.
Allison Williams continues to anchor the human element with conviction, though the script saddles her with some frustratingly contemporary parenting dynamics that feel more like a PSA about helicopter parenting than organic character development. At one point, when Cady mouths off, Gemma apologizes to Cady! My mom would’ve grounded me for a week for that kind of backtalk.
Eventually, things get glitchy, and M3GAN 2.0 encounters its most significant runtime error. The original film’s secret weapon wasn’t just its kitschy killer doll; it was the best balance of horror and comedy, like a well-calibrated algorithm that knew exactly when to deliver scares and when to serve up laughs. This sequel, however, seems to have deleted its horror subroutines entirely, opting instead for a sci-fi action template that, while competently executed, lacks the distinctive flavor that made the original so memorable.
The shift from intimate, domestic horror to globe-trotting espionage thriller isn’t inherently problematic, as plenty of franchises have successfully evolved their DNA. But M3GAN 2.0 feels like it’s running on incompatible software. The jokes that once felt organic now feel forced, the scares that once felt earned now feel manufactured, and the whole enterprise lacks the scrappy, overachieving energy that made the first flick punch above its weight class.
Still, I’ve gotta give credit where credit’s due—the technical craftsmanship remains impeccable. The seamless blend of practical effects, animatronics, and CGI continues to bring M3GAN to life with admirable realism. The action sequences, while perhaps overstaying their welcome, showcase impressive choreography and creative use of everyday technology turned weaponized. The elaborate smart car chase sequence is pure digital poetry in motion, even if it feels borrowed from a different movie.
M3GAN 2.0 isn’t a bad film, it’s just a different one. It’s like expecting a horror game and getting a competent action-adventure instead. The production values are high, the performances are solid, and there are enough genuinely entertaining moments to justify the runtime (though 15 minutes less would have been optimal). But for fans of the original’s specific brand of horror-comedy alchemy, this sequel feels like a promising patch that somehow removed the features you loved most.
The film succeeds as a sci-fi action romp with comedic elements, but it struggles to justify its existence as a M3GAN sequel. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a software update that fixes bugs you didn’t know you had while breaking functionality you actually enjoyed. In short, it runs well, but feels like it’s missing essential drivers.
Watch Bonus Interviews with Allison Williams and Violet McGraw here on the Red River Horror YouTube Channel.
