Right from the start, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ immediately shifts gears by giving us a prologue featuring a new robot that will play opposite M3GAN in an action-packed scene involving a military operation. We’ve all seen it in the trailers: AMELIA is a military weapon using the same technology as M3GAN, but as she becomes self-aware, she uses her abilities to return to the United States and wipe out the people who created her. We then catch up with the main characters, Gemma and Cady, two years after their ordeal in the first movie. While Gemma has become a staunch advocate for AI regulation and of active participation in parenting, Cady has grown into a prickly preteen (now 12 years old) who has taken up aikido and feels resentful toward Gemma for being, ironically, too busy to be more involved in her life.
Director and screenwriter Gerard Johnstone flexes his comedic flair by laying down farcical moments and allowing the scenes to fully bring out the comic and satirical tone of the film, all while building the tension of AMELIA closing in on Gemma. However, that danger feels more in line with the conventions of action and suspense than of horror. While ‘M3GAN 2.0’ remains gruesome and brutal, it is more hard-hitting than it is spooky.
Of course, M3GAN is still around, and she comes back with a vengeance. Now, she’s more self-aware, and this is presented through her snarkier attitude and less restrained behavior toward everyone except Cady. She knows what they did to her, and she is unafraid of ruffling feathers. This makes for some great comebacks and very campy moments.
The film doesn’t shy away from the things that made the first movie so enjoyable. What it does is add bigger set pieces, larger action sequences, and a plot that gets bigger, weirder, and more explosive. If you regularly read my reviews, you know I don’t always think that bigger is better, but in this case, it works. For camp to be truly campy, it needs ambition. And this bursts through the ceiling the first film built, going over and beyond what we expected it to be and that’s perfectly fine.
But surprisingly, through its satirical take on the AI rush, the movie explores several compelling insights about the ethical use of AI and the dangers it can bring. An early sequence set in Gemma’s house, which is equipped with smart AI technology, shows how it becomes a threat to everyone inside when one of the robots takes control of the entire infrastructure. Everything from cabinets and refrigerators to even the robot vacuum becomes dangerous.
Even Gemma’s shift into developing human enhancement hardware, which is meant to help disabled people walk again and make work easier and more efficient for blue-collar laborers, is shown to be dangerous if taken over by an outside source.
Sure, ‘M3GAN 2.0’ has a lot of fun with two deranged robots going at it, and we get a kick out of all the fight sequences and punchlines, but the film also underlines the real dangers of turning our world AI-dependent. There are no safeguards for what might happen if AI technology ever becomes self-aware, or if another human being takes that technology and uses it for their own purposes. The military is always the first suspect.
At the same time, the film manages to shed light on the importance of active parenting and not relying on gadgets to do the job of real people. We are too locked in to our phones and the internet. We have forgotten how to be human and how to interact with each other as humans. Some of the most interesting moments come from the evolving dynamic between Gemma and M3GAN.
I’m very happy that ‘M3GAN 2.0’ didn’t try to take itself seriously. By doing so, the filmmakers presented a film that is laugh-out-loud funny while still driving home the message about the dangers of unethical, unregulated AI development.
My Rating:
Curious to see what happens when killer AI meets campy fun and over-the-top action? Catch M3GAN 2.0 in cinemas now. Check showtimes and book your tickets here.
