M3GAN 2.0 Review: A Killer Upgrade That’s Part Cringe, Part Genius

M3GAN 2.0 is the murder doll sequel that delivers laughs, mayhem, and missed potential.

The internet’s favorite murder doll is back in M3GAN 2.0; this time, she’s deadlier, sassier, and much more self-aware. Directed once again by Gerard Johnstone and produced by horror giants James Wan and Jason Blum, this outrageous sequel to the 2023 viral hit offers a smarter, more action-packed take on artificial intelligence gone rogue. But while the upgrade is welcome in many ways, M3GAN 2.0 doesn’t fully escape the glitches that haunted the first film.

A Sequel That Slays—Literally

Set two years after the events of the original, M3GAN 2.0 finds Gemma (Allison Williams) enjoying newfound fame as an AI ethics advocate. At the same time, her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) is now a rebellious teenager pushing back against Gemma’s hovering. But peace doesn’t last long. A shady defense contractor has repurposed M3GAN’s original tech to create Amelia, a sleek, Terminator-like killing machine played by Ivanna Sakhno (Ahsoka). When Amelia predictably goes rogue, humanity’s last hope is—you guessed it—bringing M3GAN back online with some serious upgrades.

The concept is absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way. The film leans into its absurdity, mixing sci-fi action, horror, satire, and comedy to craft a chaotic spectacle. It pulls from everything from The Terminator to Child’s Play to Mean Girls, mashing up genre tropes with knowing winks and plenty of tech-fueled mayhem. This time around, M3GAN isn’t just a creepy companion—she’s an action heroine, antihero, and meme machine all in one.

More Laughs, More Blood, Less… M3GAN?

Despite the trailer’s promise, M3GAN 2.0 doesn’t quite deliver the wall-to-wall M3GAN action it teases. The movie’s first half drags with overly sentimental scenes between Gemma and Cady, making it feel more like a family drama than a techno-horror sequel. There’s way too much focus on character development that never really pays off, and not nearly enough of the killer doll chaos audiences came for.

It also doesn’t help that the film clocks in at nearly two hours—a runtime that feels excessive for a movie that thrives on camp and carnage. The pacing struggles in the middle, taking far too long to reintroduce M3GAN, who really should’ve been the star from the jump.

That said, when the action does hit, it hits hard. The final showdown between M3GAN and Amelia is genuinely thrilling and feels like something out of a sleek sci-fi blockbuster, not a mid-budget horror sequel. The violence is dialed up, and while some scenes push the R-rating, it still feels like a tamer cut. An unrated version down the road could truly unleash this movie’s full chaotic potential.

Verdict

I give M3GAN 2.0  3 out of 5 stars. It might not be perfect, but it embraces its ridiculousness with confidence, and that’s what makes it work, flaws and all. It’s creepier, funnier, and more creative than its predecessor, even if it’s still weighed down by too much exposition and not enough pure doll-fueled insanity.

This franchise has officially gone off the rails—and that’s not bad. With its self-aware tone, upgraded kills, and high-tech horror laughs, this sequel solidifies the M3GAN Cinematic Universe as one worth watching (and surviving).

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