M3GAN 2.0: AI Horror Sequel Shifts to Action-Packed Sci-Fi

M3gan 2.0 is a fun upgrade that's a little too self-aware

Charles Pulliam-Moore is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. Universal and Blumhouse's first M3gan feature came out of nowhere with a premise so ridiculous and campy that it

M3gan 2.0 film review -- AI horror doll gets a witty upgrade and a lethal foil

At the end of November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that quickly announced we were living in a new age. A week later, Universal Pictures gave the world M3gan, a comedy horror with a wickedly timely premise: an AI housed in a humanoid Valley Girl doll, made as a best friend for a lonely

Movie Review: 'M3GAN 2.0' goes big, maybe too big, to 'Mission: Impossible'-level existential crisis

If you want to know how big an upgrade the "M3GAN" sequel has on the original, look no further than the very first scene. "M3GAN" was mostly set in a Seattle house, but "M3GAN 2.0" starts at the Turkish-Iranian border -- with a murderous rampage in a secret military installation and the presence of

M3GAN 2.0 review: The AI camp queen pulls a Terminator 2

M3GAN was an unexpected hit, and for good reason: It was the best killer toy horror film since Child's Play, combining comedy and camp with a meme-worthy android lead. For the sequel, writer/director Gerard Johnstone (working off a story from him and the first film's writer Akela Cooper), have

"M3GAN 2.0" Is a Victim of Inflation

With "M3GAN 2.0," the franchising of the 2022 sci-fi-horror mashup "M3GAN" suffers from sequelitis. At least it shows its symptoms clearly: inflammation and swelling. In the first film, Gemma (Allison Williams), a robotics engineer, becomes the guardian to her orphaned niece, Cady (Violet McGraw),

â€~M3GAN 2.0’ Is an Antihero Upgrade, But at a Cost

M3GAN gets her 'Terminator 2' moment in an action-packed sequel that loses some of the first film's horror charms. M3GAN 2.0 delivers a bloody slay of a sequel, one that elevates Blumhouse's sci-fi horror darling and gives its icon an action-packed upgradeâ€"one that works, albeit at the expense

Review | 'M3gan 2.0' updates its programming for a cheeky action-thriller

M3gan in "M3gan 2.0," directed by Gerard Johnstone. (Geoffrey Short/Universal Pictures) (2.5 stars) Any technology we don't fully comprehend we turn into horror, a truism that reaches back to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (medical science) and ahead to "The Ring" (VCRs). Of late, the bogeymen

The people behind 'M3gan 2.0' think AI might be good, actually

Allison Williams returns to "M3gan 2.0" as Gemma, the tech engineer who created the titular robot. (Universal Pictures) The robot that cleans Allison Williams's home is called Pauna Gauna. The vacuum was named by the "Girls" and "Get Out" actress's toddler, and the family refers to it using

'M3GAN 2.0' takes the killer robot doll in a ridiculous new direction -- and it mostly works

The original "M3GAN" succeeded in part thanks to its simple, straightforward premise: Robot doll turns murderous. There's nothing simple or straightforward about the new sequel "M3GAN 2.0" (in theaters Friday), which is both a strength and a liability for writer-director Gerard Johnstone's

'M3GAN 2.0' review: The killer queen has been murdered by broad appeal

Gemma (Allison Williams) and M3GAN in "M3GAN 2.0," directed by Gerard Johnstone. Credit: Universal Studios Do you remember the fervor when the teaser for M3GAN hit back in the fall of 2022, revealing her eerie yet exciting dance ahead of a sassy slaughter? Just like that, a fandom arose, eagerly

M3gan 2.0 review - hit-and-miss sequel replaces horror with action comedy

A solidly made and passably entertaining follow-up to the viral doll hit tries to swerve the franchise into summer blockbuster territory with mixed results As the very first image of devil doll sequel M3gan 2.0 emerges on screen, of a desert with the words "somewhere on the Turkish-Iranian border"

M3GAN 2.0, review: A riotous return for the viral psychotic doll

When the decision was made to produce a follow-up to M3GAN - the popular 2023 horror about an artificially intelligent doll that turns evil - writer-director Gerard Johnson faced what might be called the "Jurassic Park problem". In a sequel to a film in which a fun invention ends up causing the

It's the 'M3GAN' universe - and we're all about to be living in it

Davis says she first became aware of M3GAN's status as a queer icon on her phone, when she was tagged in fan edits. "Now she's at Pride Month, and it is so awesome because they're the most supportive community ever," Davis says. When asked if the team behind the film was expecting M3GAN to become

Movie Review: 'M3GAN 2.0' goes big, maybe too big, to 'Mission: Impossible'-level existential crisis

The sequel to the horror-comedy hit "M3GAN" takes a bold turn into action territory If you want to know how big an upgrade the "M3GAN" sequel has on the original, look no further than the very first scene. "M3GAN" was mostly set in a Seattle house, but "M3GAN 2.0" starts at the Turkish-Iranian

One of 2023's Great Surprises at the Movies Is Back. Unfortunately, It's a Downgrade.

The taglines on M3GAN 2.0 posters read like text messages from an overconfident tween: "HEY, QUEENS." "MISS ME?" "I'M STILL THAT B." (Another that apparently exists, though I haven't seen in the wild, hilariously reads: "THIS BITCH.") Next to them, the titular robot who looks like an uncanny-valley

Spoilers! Why 'M3GAN 2.0' is actually a 'redemption story'

Spoiler alert! We're discussing major details about the ending of "M3GAN 2.0" (in theaters now), so beware if you haven't seen it yet. "You wouldn't give your child cocaine. Why would you give them a smartphone?" That's the sardonic hypothetical posed by roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) at the

M3GAN 2.0 is going to be as much of a social media hit as the first was, and star Allison Williams already knows which moments are going to get memed

Exclusive: M3GAN 2.0 stars Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, and Ivanna Sakhno tell us which M3GAN one-liners are going to be the most popular on social media No one could have predicted how the first M3GAN movie would blow up on social media, transforming the killer AI doll into a horror icon

M3GAN 2.0 release date, movie review, run time: Should you watch or not?

M3GAN 2.0 review is out and the movie will be released in theatres. M3GAN 2.0 is a sequel to 2023 release M3GAN.M3GAN 2.0, the sequel to 2023 release 'M3GAN', is all set to hit theatres and cinephiles are now curious about the movie review. If you want to know how big an upgrade the "M3GAN" sequel

It's the 'M3GAN' Universe - and We're All About to Be Living in It

When asked if the team behind the film was expecting M3GAN to become a queer icon, Williams, through laughter, quickly replies: "No." "I think if we had been making her with the expectation that she would be a queer icon, she would have been dismissed by the queer community," Williams says. "It

M3GAN 2.0

It scares me a little to think how parallel the trajectories are for the Terminator and M3GAN franchises. The first one was a low-budget horror movie about a killer robot which became a sleeper hit. Then, the sequel was not a horror movie, but an action movie, and the killer robot from the first

'M3GAN 2.0' Review: Allison Williams in an Occasionally Fun but Overloaded AI Sequel That Botches Its Factory Reset

'28 Years Later' Review: Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Danny Boyle's White-Knuckle Sequel to His Apocalyptic Game-Changer The campy sense of mischief that made Gerard Johnstone's 2023 hit M3GAN so enjoyable asserts itself intermittently in M3GAN 2.0, a logical title for a follow-up to

'M3GAN 2.0' Team on Delivering a "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" Version of Their Killer Dancing AI Robot

Jane Rosenthal Champions Female and Nonbinary Filmmakers When the "Very Act of Us Speaking Up Feels Risky" at Chanel Tribeca Festival Luncheon At the premiere of his new film M3GAN 2.0, there's a brief moment when it's difficult to tell if director Gerard Johnstone is referring to human

'M3GAN 2.0' review: Not scary doll dud tries too hard to be campy

Running time: 119 minutes. Rated PG-13 (strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language, sexual material, and brief drug references). In theaters June 27. M3GAN, the AI doll with looks to kill, was always going to come back for more carnage. Not because her simple story warranted it.

'M3GAN' director reveals if he'd do a third film after 'challenging'...

Gerard Johnstone, the director of the horror franchise starring Allison Williams, has confirmed that there are already conversations about making "M3GAN 3.0." "Yes, absolutely. It makes sense for there to be more of these movies," Johnstone exclusively told the Post. "To what extent I'll be

'M3GAN 2.0' director explains why they gave M3GAN an...

Everyone deserves a second chance -- including M3GAN. In the new horror sequel, the AI doll is rebuilt and turns to the good side as she teams up with Gemma (Allison Williams) and Cady (Violet McGraw) to defeat a humanoid military robot named AMELIA. Director Gerard Johnstone exclusively told The

M3GAN 2.0 Review - IGN

There was a time when horror mascots took multiple movies to find their way to icon status. But from the moment M3GAN sashayed her way toward impaling Ronny Chieng, it felt like the dancing murder robot had years of sequels and snark ahead of her. Her limitless reserves of generative smartassery