Director
Gerard Johnstone
(M3GAN)

Starring
Allison Williams, Jemaine Clement and Violet McGraw

The techno-thriller queen is back, and this time, she’s sleeker, smarter, and more terrifyingly relevant than ever in M3GAN 2.0, the action packed sequel to the surprise 2022 hit. With a sharp script, refined visuals, and deeper emotional resonance, this film cements M3GAN’s place as a modern Blumhouse icon.

Directed once again by Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN 2.0 picks up in the aftermath of the first film’s chilling finale. The rogue android’s rampage may have been halted, but the consequences of artificial intelligence’s reach continue to spread and evolve. The sequel smartly shifts focus to the broader implications of AI parenting tools and digital dependence, while still keeping the thrills and biting humour that made the original so fun. The key departure from the original however is a move away from the sinister undertones, that made the first film very much a horror/comedy and a very clear move into the comedy/action realm. There’s nothing scary about M3GAN 2.0, but the fun in the experience remains just the same.

Without diving into spoiler territory, M3GAN 2.0 centres around a now-teenaged Cady (Violet McGraw, returning with newfound emotional depth) who is navigating life after the trauma of M3GAN’s first iteration. But just when she begins to feel safe, a new and improved M3GAN prototype emerges from a shadowy military operation. The new android is more adaptive, more emotionally intelligent… and more terrifyingly autonomous.

The screenplay by Akela Cooper, who penned the original, is even sharper this time around. It seamlessly blends satire and tension, taking aim at our obsession with digital assistants, the ethics of tech conglomerates, and the dark potential of emotional manipulation by machines. It’s funny without undercutting the action, and insightful without feeling preachy; a delicate balance not often achieved in sequels.

Amie Donald once again delivers a physically mesmerizing performance as M3GAN, combining uncanny valley smoothness with bursts of terrifying agility. Paired with Jenna Davis’s eerily sweet voice, the character feels more multidimensional this time — not just a rogue AI, but a genuinely complex villain who blurs the line between malfunctioning code and emergent consciousness. M3GAN isn’t just rebooted — she’s reborn with a vengeance.

Visually, the film is more polished and ambitious than its predecessor. Johnstone leans into a heightened aesthetic, filled with glossy futurism, neon-tinged suburbia, and atmospheric dread. One of the biggest surprises of M3GAN 2.0 however is how well it deepens its characters. Cady’s arc is moving, as she struggles with grief, autonomy, and a society that keeps trying to outsource love and responsibility to machines. Allison Williams returns as Gemma with more grit and complexity, and the new cast members, including a quietly menacing tech CEO played Jemaine Clement, add fresh energy.

M3GAN 2.0 is everything a sequel should be: bold, bigger in scope, smarter in execution, and confident in its identity, however the move away from a true ‘horror’ genre though is probably the one detracting feature. It loses a little bit of the uniqueness of the original which is what made it such a hit. That being said, it’s still an exhilarating, wickedly fun, and socially savvy horror sequel that proves the franchise is only just getting started.

M3GAN 2.0 is in cinemas now.