M3GAN 2.0: A Remarkably Disappointing Follow-Up to the Silly Original (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Three years ago, audiences were treated to quite a bizarre little sci-fi/horror flick called "M3GAN," which told the tale of an AI doll that develops self-awareness and becomes a little overly-protective of the young girl she's meant to be a companion to. It was thrilling, silly, over-the-top, and was a smash hit at the box office, grossing over $180 million worldwide against its $12 million production budget. Naturally a sequel was put into production pretty quickly, which brings us to "M3GAN 2.0," in which director/screenwriter Gerard Johnstone tries to pick up from the massive success of the original. Could he possibly deliver another goofy little thriller that fans will find just as satisfying?

The film starts by introducing us to a new android called AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), who has been designed for top secret government missions. However, on her latest mission, she goes rogue and disappears. Meanwhile, we catch up with M3GAN's creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), who is now an author and an advocate for AI regulation, and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), a computer science student. One night, their home is invaded by FBI agents led by Colonel Sattler (Timm Sharp), the man responsible for AMELIA's creation, believing that Gemma is somehow involved with the android's activities. After they leave, M3GAN (Voice of Jenna Davis) reveals that she is in Gemma's smart home computer and offers to help stop AMELIA in return for a body. Gemma reluctantly agrees, marking the start of an uneasy alliance that could potentially have them saving the world.

When it came to the original "M3GAN," what made it work surprisingly well was that screenwriter Akela Cooper somehow managed to merge several genres into a fun, entertaining, and engaging tale that maintained a rather silly tone, one that allowed the audience to take the movie seriously enough, but not too seriously. If a sequel was going to have any chance of achieving the same level of success, Johnstone would have to attempt to strike this rather difficult & delicate balance in order to deliver an experience that audiences would once again find entertaining in all the right ways.

However, with "M3GAN 2.0," something seems to have gone quite wrong. Despite working from a story that he co-wrote with the author of the original film, Johnstone has delivered a sequel that is far less fun, exciting, and entertaining, and surprisingly more along the lines of dull & tedious. That's not to say he doesn't try to make it light & amusing, dropping in jokes here and there in an effort to give it a slightly more comedic tone, but the film is so remarkably stretched out at two hours, and contains a convoluted plot so packed with long-winded exposition, that it makes it nearly impossible to have any fun with it at all.

By the end of its over-extended runtime, you'll likely question whether this truly is the same director who had given us the previous film, for his follow-up makes it seem like he didn't understand what had made it such an enjoyable experience in the first place. Perhaps this was an idea that just couldn't be replicated, or perhaps in keeping with the theme of the piece, they simply allowed AI to write it. Either way, "M3GAN 2.0" ultimately makes for a rather disappointing attempt to give us more of what had been a unique & intriguing outing, which, at the very least, fans can always fall back on.

Video/Audio:

"M3GAN 2.0" comes to Blu-ray in both unrated & theatrical versions, with 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfers of excellent quality. The pictures are beautifully sharp & clear throughout the film's entire two-hour duration, perfectly highlighting its intriguing designs. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio tracks are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Universal has done a marvelous job in both departments for the film's Blu-ray debut.

Special Features:

Total Upgrade: Making M3GAN 2.0 (11 Minutes): An interesting look behind the scenes at the making of the film, featuring interviews with the cast & crew.

Droid DNA (8 Minutes): A featurette that focuses on bringing the robots to life.

The Art of Slaying (8 Minutes): A featurette that explores the film's action.

Scene Breakdown: Embrace AI Convention (5 Minutes): A brief look at the film's major convention sequence.

Conclusion:

"M3GAN 2.0" is a rather disappointing attempt to follow up what had been a thrilling, silly, and entertaining sci-fi/horror outing, replacing the fun & excitement of the original with a surprisingly dull & tedious experience that features a convoluted plot packed with rambling exposition & a remarkably over-stretched runtime of two hours. Ultimately, fans would be far better off simply rewatching the first film instead.

Score: 2.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting today.

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