‘M3gan 2.0’ Review: Another Bot Walks, Talks, and Wants World Domination
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Sure, “M3gan,” the robot who looks like a homicidal Olsen sister, murdered some people in the 2023 comedy-horror film, but she had her reasons. “I was upset!” she, or rather her disembodied operating system, cries in the sequel. She explains that she was just a kid back then, and is completely trustworthy now. Please, could someone load her software into another robo-body? Please? Pleeease?
In “M3gan 2.0,” her wary inventor, Gemma (Allison Williams), doesn’t quite believe her but also doesn’t have much choice. A successor bot, Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), which unlike the previous figure looks exactly like a human, is not only a military-grade fighter but has also managed to use her seductive wiles to hack into the systems overseen by a billionaire tech lord (Jemaine Clement). Using cloud computing, Amelia can essentially control everything on the grid, from traffic lights to ATMs. In a “Terminator 2” twist, then, the impish M3gan (acted by Amie Donald, with a voice by Jenna Davis) switches sides and joins the ranks of the good guys in an effort to stop a more technologically advanced rival. At least, that’s what the movie’s heroes hope: M3gan can be a bit fickle.
Wittily written and directed by Gerard Johnstone, who directed but did not write the first film, the follow-up is notably clever, amusing, ambitious and densely plotted. Unlike its predecessor and most works from the horror-thriller production company Blumhouse, it combines a high-concept premise with a highly complicated story.
The earlier movie found Gemma developing a “Model 3 Generative Android” (M3gan) to befriend and protect her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), who was lonely after her parents died, only to watch in terror as the robot went on a killing spree. Now the inventor has become an activist and author in Silicon Valley who speaks out on the dangers of technologically sophisticated devices.
Along with a self-aggrandizing entrepreneur, Christian (Aristotle Athari), who is at pains to note his name is pronounced Chris-tee-on, Gemma has become a thought leader of a social movement intent on getting cellphones out of schools and otherwise reducing tech influence over our lives, especially the lives of children. Meanwhile, however, the weaponized version of M3gan, Amelia (also an acronym, but I won’t bore you by spelling it out), has gone rogue during a Middle Eastern anti-terrorist assignment and is making her way to San Francisco with plans to rule the world. Among other new wrinkles, the sequel features a sort of Iron Man suit, donning which can give super-strength to an ordinary person. Gemma therefore gets an opportunity to become an action hero and join the battle on equal terms with Amelia.
Working on a much larger scale than he did on the low-budget first film, Mr. Johnstone devises enjoyably madcap fight scenes while getting a lot of mileage out of poking fun at genre conventions, tech-nerd lore and previous movies. A pivotal development depends on Cady’s fondness for Steven Seagal vehicles, and Ms. Sakhno’s Amelia not only made me think of Daryl Hannah’s assassin-replicant in “Blade Runner,” but also of Rachel McAdams in “Mean Girls,” suggesting she’s a stepped-up version of Regina George.
If doll-faced robo-killers don’t scare you, the possible reach of artificial intelligence might; “M3gan 2.0” is both fun on its own terms and a smart social satire. Mr. Johnstone’s fellow New Zealander Mr. Clement, who has made a specialty out of brief but hilarious supporting roles, is a standout, and any inferences about mega-corporations that might be drawn from his character’s name, which is Appleton, are entirely intended. Tech savants will savor the way Mr. Johnstone folds into his story a former hotspot of innovation, Xerox’s PARC in Palo Alto, Calif., a once-vital research lab, renamed Xenox, that turns out to host a sort of Lost Ark that could upend the world as we know it.
If doll-faced robo-killers don’t scare you, the possible reach of artificial intelligence might; “M3gan 2.0” is both fun on its own terms and a smart social satire. Mr. Johnstone’s fellow New Zealander Mr. Clement, who has made a specialty out of brief but hilarious supporting roles, is a standout, and any inferences about mega-corporations that might be drawn from his character’s name, which is Appleton, are entirely intended. Tech savants will savor the way Mr. Johnstone folds into his story a former hotspot of innovation, Xerox’s PARC in Palo Alto, Calif., a once-vital research lab, renamed Xenox, that turns out to host a sort of Lost Ark that could upend the world as we know it.
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Sounds like yummy summer pablum ...
Another Bot Walks, Talks, and Wants World Domination
Well, interesting as that may be, I think the only thing people here need to be concerned about is: is this bot a "progressive" or a "MAGA supporter"?