This article contains SPOILERS for M3GAN 2.0.
Blumhouse’s new film, M3GAN 2.0, seems to have taken plenty of cues from director James Cameron’s classic sci-fi blockbuster, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The sequel to 2023’s M3GAN features the тιтular AI returning after her supposed death to protect Gemma and Cady from another killer android built based on her blueprints.
The M3GAN franchise had already trod familiar ground as it took inspiration from the killer doll and killer robot subgenres often seen in the horror genre. However, the story of M3GAN 2.0 steps further away from horror and features many similarities to Terminator 2 in terms of the characters and plot points, making for another action-heavy, robot-filled adventure.
While Terminator 2 has gone on to become one of sci-fi’s most beloved pictures, having scored a 91% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it doesn’t seem like M3GAN 2.0 will reach the high standard of Cameron’s film, and that isn’t a bad thing.
M3GAN 2.0 Is Basically A Remake Of James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day
M3GAN 2.0. Is Built With Many Parts Seen In Terminator 2
Like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, M3GAN 2.0 depicts a previously villainous AI android trying to protect a woman and her child from another killer android who intends to rebel against humanity. This leads to the protagonists getting into high-speed chases, loud shootouts, and heart-pounding fight sequences, as seen in Terminator 2.
M3GAN‘s heroic arc in the film is also very similar to the T-800 seen in Terminator 2, learning to show compᴀssion for others and act for the greater good while trying to protect Cady. As such, M3GAN gives her life to save the world from destruction at the hands of AMELIA, similar to how the T-800 destroys himself to prevent Judgment Day from occurring in the future.
There Are Some Key Differences Between M3GAN 2.0 & Terminator 2
M3GAN Avoids Being A Carbon Copy Of Terminator 2 In Several Ways
M3GAN 2.0 has multiple distinctive traits that set it apart from Terminator 2. On top of lacking any elements of time travel, the sequel is a campy and comedic film satirizing the modern world with a PG-13 rating, featuring plenty of gore and violence without crossing the line to an R-rating.
This approach contrasts with the R-rated Terminator 2, which features apocalyptic imagery, over-the-top gun violence, and a much more serious tone.
Also, unlike the T-800 in Terminator 2, which is a different robot from the one in The Terminator, M3GAN is the same character in both the first and second films of her franchise. Having survived the events of M3GAN, she experiences tremendous growth as she continues to protect Cady following her murderous rampage in her debut picture.
She even survives her “death” at the end of M3GAN 2.0, having created a digital backup of herself that appears on Gemma’s computer.
M3GAN 2.0 Can’t Live Up To Terminator 2
M3GAN 2.0 Isn’t As Revolutionary Or Distinctive As Terminator 2
Terminator 2 is famous for its innovative computer-generated imagery, which brought the now-iconic liquid-metal T-1000 to life on the big screen. It is also famous for defying expectations by making the villainous T-800 a heroic guardian sent to protect John Connor instead of killing him, reinventing the Terminator franchise and its story.
Since Terminator 2 already did a lot of what is featured in M3GAN 2.0, the latter doesn’t add that fresh or groundbreaking to the world of cinema. The 2025 sequel does present a relevant message about the dangers of AI while distinctively urging its audience to take better care of it rather than destroy it. Nevertheless, the movie is meant to present a comedic and thrilling blockbuster that fans of sci-fi and action can enjoy.
The movie is well aware of its idenтιтy as a silly, over-the-top sci-fi blockbuster, and after the success of 2022’s M3GAN, the sequel relishes its reputation in a way that sets itself apart from Terminator 2.
M3GAN 2.0 may have taken several cues from Terminator 2, but it isn’t trying to compete or be exactly like it. It simply takes what worked in Cameron’s film and puts its own spin on the story to appeal to fans of the first M3GAN film. The movie is well aware of its idenтιтy as a silly, over-the-top sci-fi blockbuster, and after the success of the 2022 installment, the sequel relishes its reputation in a way that sets itself apart from Terminator 2.
