M3GAN 2.0 Review: a horror comedy in which the absurd predominates

M3GAN 2.0 is directed by Gerard Johnstone, the film continues the story of M3GAN, an AI-powered android, but now pits her against a new adversary, AMELIA, a military robot created using M3GAN's technology.

M3GAN 2. 0 delves into the genre of science fiction and horror, combining both comedy and the absurd. The truth is that, in this film, the predominant tone is the absurd, in a narrative where humor acts as the thread that unites the various elements of the story. This inclination was already noticeable in the first film, especially in its final stretch. Here, there are few characteristics of horror cinema, some scares that the film offers not to scare, but to highlight the comicality of certain scenes. In most of the time, M3GAN 2. 0 is clearly a comedy. This comedy chooses to approach with humor one of the most serious issues regarding the relationship between human beings and technology: the uncontrolled impact of artificial intelligences on daily life.

A possible alternative reality

The horror plot explores the possibilities of a highly interconnected world, giving technology almost divine traits, such as ubiquity and omnipresence. After the M3GAN doll is defeated in the previous movie, having caused the death of four people whom she considered a threat to Cady, the girl she was serving as a toy, the robot's digital consciousness manages to ascend to the cloud before being destroyed. From there, by navigating through online technology, which is increasingly present in today's life, you will be able to continue responding to the order that defines your existence.

M3GAN 2. 0 it becomes something predictable, repetitive and complicated, as well as making the doll lose some of its charm. At first, she murders to protect Cady, her owner, but then she radically changes her purpose and transforms into a tool to fight Amelia, the villain. Amelia starts out being a strong and important character, but over the course of the plot, her role is reduced to a few meaningless appearances that do not impact the final conflict, so as not to alter the narrative.

With this new approach and taking advantage of the current enthusiasm for advances in artificial intelligence, the film avoids significant dialogues and becomes more superficial, prioritizing technical details and making it seem more like a computing class than a strange thriller. When the story reaches its climax, the script focuses on the fact that it does not contain any important message, becoming forced and rigid by trying to offer a familiar message that does not have great relevance.

As the narrative progresses, both the doll and the humans around her become completely irrelevant in the face of an indecisive plot. An interesting villain like Amelia is introduced, but her figure is destroyed before the denouement, giving way to another villain without charisma who feels forced into the story. Undoubtedly, this is one of those sequels that disappoint; by trying not to repeat the same story, they give it an unnatural twist that transforms it into something different.

A charismatic doll

The essence of M3GAN 2. 0 lies in its main character - a daring and deadly doll. With her perfectly coiffed hair, big eyes and a rebellious school girl look, the pretty doll conquered the public with biting comments, dances that are ready to go viral and a skill to end lives.

These characteristics are not only maintained in this sequel, but intensified. M3GAN comes across as more sarcastic, more comical and possibly more threatening than before.

However, the return of M3GAN presents complications, as it usually happens when having to justify the return of a character who was believed to be dead. The arrival of Amelia, a robot designed to be a military defense weapon, will lead Gemma, the creator of the doll, who has now become a critic of technological problems, and her companions to rebuild M3GAN, something neither of them wants to do. On the other hand, Gemma's niece Cady's relationship with her former robotic friend is full of conflicting emotions.

The new environment is set and there will be combats designed with skillful camera movements that follow those of the robots, but the surprise is no longer the same. As in many sequels, there is something more planned and more automatic in this second installment. This story presents some interesting moments and it could be said that it reaches the average level of most horror movie releases on Fridays.