M3GAN 2.0

***

Directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ivanna Sakhno.

Science-Fiction, US, 119 Minutes, Certificate 15.

Released in cinemas in the UK on 27th June by Universal Pictures

Forgive me for being cynical but I really was not looking forward to this quickly greenlit sequel to the mildly entertaining surprise hit from two years ago. What I originally considered inoffensive fare soon triggered a level of annoyance when Blumhouse realised the social media appeal of the titular uncanny android, taking advantage of its mimetic appeal and flooding the online landscape with a vast number of GIFS and TikTok’s of the dancing childlike robot and its deadpan way of dispatching victims. It was a level of annoyance that only increased when the marketing campaign for this next instalment first appeared, leaning heavily into everything that made the studios attempts to capitalize on what made the first film such a success seem cynically engineered to take advantage of its social media viability but with added action sequences that looked out of place, snarky dialogue and wardrobe changes. And even more dancing.

What a pleasant surprise, then that M3GAN 2.0 is a marked improvement on its predecessor in a number of ways. Director Gerard Johnstone, also takes on sole writing duties here and delivers an installment that fulfils the golden rule of sequels by delivering more of the same with certain tweaks but also managing to deliver a certain amount of undercutting expectations with a knowing sense of humour of what is expected from a money hungry studio and its audience. The horror trappings of the first film are completely discarded here much like the film’s largest influence, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY. By stealing that film's intriguing hook of turning its villain into a hero, Johnstone also manages to deliver a slice of android driven fun that takes a look at the prevalence and threat of AI today and gifts the audience with a film that is actually sharper and far more entertaining than the last couple of TERMINATOR sequels.

Picking up the pieces after the last film, we see M3GAN’s inventor Gemma, apologising for her actions by advocating for guardrails against AI and attempting to reconnect with her niece, Cady, who M3GAN became so attached to and lethally overprotective of. In true convoluted sequel fashion they soon find themselves reunited with the not so innocent and malevolent piece of software that caused them so much bother when an upgraded and more lethal version of social media's favourite robot soon appears with a mysterious plan that threatens humanity itself in such a way that M3GAN is soon forced to take matters into her (or should that be its?) own hands to protect everything she seemingly holds dear.

While the film has been designed to get as many tickets at the box office as possible with its near bloodless action sequences, its two hour running time zips along in a rush without tripping itself up. As well as paying homage to James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s immortal creation, Johnstone also throws in visual and thematic nods to the likes of METROPOLIS, UPGRADE and even KNIGHT RIDER and its banger of a soundtrack. There is a somewhat muddled message of what the true implications of the threats and potentials of an AI-dominated society could actually mean in favour of the likes of another dance sequence and heartfelt singing. However, especially in the case of the latter, they are served with a knowing sense of humour (“Please don’t take this to the chorus!”) that takes the mickey out of itself and also STRANGER THINGS to a degree.

As Gemma and Cady, Alison Williams and Violet McGraw deliver sharp, winning performances that never lean into the mawkish, with Williams given a lot more to do here both physically and comedically. Also impressive is the voice work of Amie Donald, giving even more of an intriguing and funny personality to M3GAN when delivering her dialogue that is equally adept in sarcasm and unadulterated threat. Unlike the unwanted software reboots on your own PC or laptop, this is a more than welcome update that actually installs more intriguing possible directions, boding well for the forthcoming, more adult-oriented spin-off SOULM8TE from Kate Dolan. Is there more creative gas in the tank for another winning instalment here? I can’t see how, but I’d be more than happy to be proven wrong again.

Iain MacLeod