M3GAN 2 Movie - Review

In true sci-fi horror sequel fashion, Megan 2.0 brings back everyone’s favorite uncanny robot, but in a clever twist that sets the tone for ...

In true sci-fi horror sequel fashion, Megan 2.0 brings back everyone’s favorite uncanny robot, but in a clever twist that sets the tone for the entire film, this time she’s not actually trying to kill you—at least not in the way you might expect—and while there’s certainly a murderous automaton that Allison Williams’ Gemma and Violet McGraw’s Katie have to team up to defeat, it’s Megan herself who ultimately becomes the unlikely hero, forced back into action to save the day, which means the movie wastes no time in subverting your expectations and expanding its narrative ambitions beyond the more intimate, screen-addiction discourse of the first film to tackle, with a distinctly tongue-in-cheek attitude, nothing less than the fate of AI on a global scale.

From its very first moments ahead, Megan 2.0 announces its evolution, trading in the creepy, domestic unease of the original for a glossy, plot-heavy spectacle that feels more like a Mission Impossible caper than a traditional horror movie, complete with glamorous wardrobe changes, high-speed chases in shiny cars, and a whole lot of time spent breaking into secret labs and lairs, so much so that you might forget you’re even watching a horror sequel until Megan cracks a one-liner or busts out a dance routine just in time to remind you why you bought a ticket in the first place.

While the first Megan wasn’t exactly a contender for scariest film of the decade, this sequel dials down the chills even further, choosing instead to focus on the spectacle and the shifting loyalties of Ivanna Sakhno’s Amelia—a villain whose motivations and position in the story evolve so much that she’s less an evil mastermind than a complicated byproduct of the same reckless technological ambition that created Megan in the first place, and though the film gestures at deeper questions about the dangers of AI and the hubris of those who would build it, its real interest lies in the dazzling set pieces, the over-the-top action, and the satirical edge that lets you know it’s in on the joke.

What’s most striking about Megan 2.0 is how, given a much bigger budget and a mandate to go global, it trades the emotional heart of the original—Gemma and Katie’s struggle to connect—for a broader meditation on AI regulation, the tech industry’s shifting ethics, and the way both the creators and the public are expected to shoulder the burden of controlling what we’ve unleashed; but while the movie flirts with big ideas, it never lingers on them for long, always snapping back to its true strengths—Megan’s charisma, her redemption arc, and a relentless parade of slick, funny, and sometimes even TikTok-ready moments that keep the audience engaged, even if the film itself can’t quite decide what it wants to be.

There’s a certain blandness to the film’s ultimate message—that all extremes are bad, even when you’re dealing with homicidal robots—but Megan 2.0 doesn’t pretend to have the answers, and in the end, it’s the robot’s own journey toward personhood, her ability to defy her programming and choose a more moral path, that gives the film its emotional throughline, however silly or satirical it may be.

Furthermore, the movie’s self-awareness sometimes gets the better of it, with an overabundance of moments seemingly crafted for viral social media sound bites, but even as the franchise becomes as meta and knowing as its own sentient creations, it still manages to deliver a crowd-pleasing blend of action, humor, and just enough horror to keep things interesting, even if it’s sometimes clear the filmmakers are still searching for the perfect tone and purpose for this evolving series.

Given how strong this summer’s lineup of blockbusters has already been, there’s really no reason not to let Megan 2.0 be your next popcorn-fueled ride—because even if it doesn’t always know exactly what it wants to say, it never stops being fun, and in a theater full of people ready to laugh along and cheer for a robot who might just have a heart, you’ll find yourself rooting for Megan all over again.