M3GAN 2.0, THE AI REVOLUTION, AND MISLEADING TRAILERS

Blumhouse is back with M3GAN 2.0, the sequel to their viral, social media dancing, killer robot AI. But did the trailers give too much away?

Two years after M3GAN, a marvel of artificial intelligence, went rogue and embarked on a murderous (and impeccably choreographed) rampage and was subsequently destroyed, M3GAN’s creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become a high-profile author and advocate for government oversight of A.I. Meanwhile, Gemma’s niece Cady (Violet McGraw), now 14, has become a teenager, rebelling against Gemma’s overprotective rules.

Unbeknownst to them, the underlying tech for M3GAN has been stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno; Ahsoka, Pacific Rim: Uprising), the ultimate killer infiltration spy. But as Amelia’s self-awareness increases, she becomes decidedly less interested in taking orders from humans. Or in keeping them around.

With the future of human existence on the line, Gemma realizes that the only option is to resurrect M3GAN (Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) and give her a few upgrades, making her faster, stronger, and more lethal. As their paths collide, the original A.I bitch is about to meet her match.

Written and Directed by Gerard Johnstone

Based on Characters Created by Akela Cooper & James Wan

Story by Gerard Johnstone & Akela Cooper

Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, Ivanna Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp, Jemaine Clement

My wife and I had date night last night. I’ve been making her go to a lot of movies lately, and though she likes them, going to the theater isn’t always her idea of a good time. But she wanted to go this time. One of her favorite horror films is M3GAN, and there was no way in hell I was gonna tell her we weren’t going to see the sequel. Unmerited rumors that it had been written with AI surfaced, and considering my stance against AI in art and prose, I was hesitant. But it was for my wife. No matter how bad the trailers looked. No matter how much of the story the trailers gave away. She’s always taking one for the team with me, so I best take a bullet for her.

First off, I’ve looked and looked and looked and can find zero sources saying M3GAN 2.0 was made with anything AI, be it the script or the digital animation. So that’s a good thing, right? Also, luckily the trailers were… mostly wrong? It was a good popcorn movie with lots of subtext aimed at young women to empower them. Is it a top 10 of the year? Maybe for a teenage nerd girl? But for me, it was a just a fun flick. You see, the trailers really are somewhat misleading, and as I pointed out, it’s not as much of an action movie as they made it look to be. It has plenty of suspense and horror moments even as it cuts away from most of the gore. The film has gotten criticism for its “positive” approach to the very real world issues we are currently having with AI. I didn’t see any of this. I saw warnings given throughout the film about AI and technology as a whole being bad, and how capitalist companies manipulate people to make money. It does instruct us to be responsible with our use of technology, as it should do.

The cast is reliably fine. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw reprise their roles from the first film, alongside their assistants played by Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps. Jemaine Clement is hilarious as a cringy hedonistic tech bro. Aristotle Athari shines as the all too calm villain, which makes him more sinister. I only wish they’d given Ivanna Sakhno more time to shine in with her Brigette Nelson accent while channeling Arnold’s T-800. It saddens me that her part was a little underwhelming in the grand scheme of things. And this is only one of the promises M3GAN 2.0 fails to keep. 

It may not be the action movie the trailers made it out to be, and that’s a blessing. The dialogue is awful, sometimes painful to endure, and the plot is often convoluted. The pacing in the third act is disastrous. Once they “go to the lair” it seems like another 90 minute movie has just started. And why the Steven Segal in jokes? Yes, we know he’s an awful person, and his use of aikido was appropriate for the movie, but is he even relevant anymore? That being said, it’s filled with self parody, so one has to wonder, were the bad dialogue and convoluted plot are done by… design?

Before we cast judgement on this movie for being ridiculous (and not in a good way), let’s look at all the brilliant ways it pays homage to what has come before it. Visually, M3GAN 2.0 is a solid homage to most every killer robot in cinematic history, from METROPOLIS to WEST WORLD to THE TERMINATOR and EX MACHINA. There are easter eggs galore in this, celebrating the movies that led to M3GAN and this sequel. It’s also made for young women, and by extension, it might introduce someone to Sarah Connor, or expose them to the beauty of METROPOLIS. You can’t discount an IP cos you think it’s silly. You need to look at the market it’s made for and why they made it. This is potentially TWILIGHT but with killer robots, giving young women who aren’t typically the target audience of science fiction (horror films are another story – and this is that, as well.).

I think Danny Boyle is going to be happy this came out, to take some of the flak off of 28 YEARS LATER. Toxic enthusiasm reviewers are going to shit on M3GAN 2.0 movie like it’s their job—which it is. You see, their job is to be toxic and manipulate algorithms for views, and the irony of this being focused on a movie highlighting how bad tech is isn’t lost on me here, either. If you’re expecting THE TERMINATOR 2.0, you’re not going to get it. Put those expectations out of your head. M3GAN 2.0 is not made for the machismo crowd, it’s made for girls with attitudes. Those of you with young ladies in your household should take them to see this. It’s great representation for young women, and that’s because it’s a science fiction horror franchise made for them.

Does it make my top 10 of the year?  No. That list won’t be modified again until next week. Does this mean you shouldn’t see M3GAN 2.0? Also a big nope. Go see it, have some fun eating popcorn, oh— and one more thing… bring the girls.