M3GAN 2.0 has finally arrived, though its critical reception isn’t nearly as glowing as its predecessor’s. Upon its release in 2023, Blumhouse’s M3GAN became a viral horror hit, with audiences becoming instantly enamored with the тιтular killer robot. Thanks to its campy energy and soapy twists, the movie earned positive reviews, enough to score a dazzling 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now it’s M3GAN 2.0‘s turn in theaters, and things haven’t been quite as impressive. With a 57% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and a dismal $10.2 million domestic opening, the sequel’s performance has fallen well short of the original’s breakout success.

When it comes to the box office, there’s already been plenty of discussion regarding why it didn’t come close to M3GAN‘s surprise $30.4 million opening. The crowded theatrical landscape certainly didn’t help, but the more mixed reviews were also likely a contributing factor. According to the critics, there are plenty of reasons why M3GAN 2.0 doesn’t match the original.

6

The Terminator 2 Similarities

M3GAN 2.0 Has Been Called A Copy Of Judgment Day

In the first movie, M3GAN is unquestionably the villain. Taking her programmed orders to protect young Cady (Violet McGraw) to the extreme, she kills four people and a dog, and even comes close to taking out her creator Gemma (Alison Williams).

The sequel flips the script and turns M3GAN into a morally gray hero, pitting her against another, far more dangerous robot named AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno). As many have pointed out, this mirrors the trajectory of the Terminator franchise; the second movie in that series also finds its тιтular robot becoming the good guy.

Though it’s quite common for movies to inadvertently hold similar plots, the problem here is that Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the most well-regarded sequels of all time, thus making M3GAN 2.0‘s efforts appear even more lackluster by comparison.

Multiple reviews referenced Terminator 2 while debating the merits of M3GAN 2.0, with Pajiba‘s Lindsay Traves calling it “Terminator 2 for the TikTok girlies, for better and for worse.” Though that review was a positive one, the overall idea reaffirms the notion that M3GAN 2.0 can’t quite stand on its own.

5

M3GAN 2.0 Abandons Its Horror Premise

Instead, It Goes Full Action-Comedy

Hailing from Blumhouse, the first M3GAN was built and marketed as a typical horror slasher, and it supplied plenty of thrills even with a tamer PG-13 rating. At the same time, it offered surprise laughs, making for a genuine genre crossover that delighted audiences. The concept of a killer doll wasn’t new, but the thrills were there.

However, even though Blumhouse still had a hand in the sequel, little of M3GAN 2.0 can be called scary. AMELIA is a worthy villain, but the conflict with her plays out more like an action movie, with much of the plot revolving around her planned takeover of an all-powerful artificial intelligence. It’s not that far from another recent action blockbuster, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

The abrupt shift away from horror rubbed many critics the wrong way. Jordy Sirkin of Jordy Reviews It admits to being “left craving more in the camp and horror department.” The first M3GAN built its audience on horror fans eager for a fun slasher, and in abandoning that premise, the sequel couldn’t receive quite the same love.

4

The AI Commentary Gets Really Messy

M3GAN 2.0 Has A Muddled Message

AI is one of today’s H๏τ-ʙuттon issues. It’s at the forefront of politics and was a major condition during the 2023 writers and actors strikes. M3GAN 2.0 makes the looming threat the centerpiece of its plot, with AMELIA’s ultimate goal involving a highly advanced AI. Without going into spoilers, her motivation is tied to the very real concerns people have about AI use today.

However, in trying to tackle some relevant social themes, M3GAN 2.0‘s messaging gets muddled and, in some ways, cartoonish. Though the first movie clearly had an AI slant of its own through M3GAN’s own evolution, it only explored the concept on a micro level as it impacted Gemma and Cady.

Like all sequels, M3GAN 2.0 goes bigger by bringing in AI’s threat against the entire world, and it’s far messier. As Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman notes, “Where the first film was ahead of the curve, M3GAN 2.0 has been made in the thick of the AI explosion and is all too aware of it.” It would’ve been difficult for the movie to avoid the topic entirely, but it ultimately takes on too much.

3

M3GAN Isn’t Quite As Original Anymore

She Used To Be A Blast Of Fresh Energy

M3GAN had the advantage of being a wholly original movie when it debuted; even if its plot could be deemed familiar, its characters and hard-to-pin-down tone made it feel like a breath of fresh air in many ways. It’s what fueled so many online memes, as people relished in the excitement of discovering a brand-new character.

Now, M3GAN isn’t quite so new anymore. Audiences have spent years with her and are well-accustomed to the character’s snarky one-liners and dance moves. Screen International‘s Nikki Baughan succinctly says that the sequel “lacks the novelty value of its predecessor.”

M3GAN remains a fun and singular character, and the positive notices emphasize that she’s still a blast to watch onscreen. However, the first movie’s success was aided by her originality, and the sequel ultimately doesn’t offer the same fresh take.

This could also be where franchise fatigue creeps in. Though sequels can be well-received and even considered better than their predecessors, if they can’t bring something new to the table, they lose their luster. That seems to be exactly what happened with M3GAN 2.0.

2

M3GAN 2.0 Gets Bigger – And More Convoluted

The Plot Has Way More Going On

The first M3GAN told a fairly simple story: after the death of Cady’s parents, Gemma builds M3GAN to act as a companion and caregiver that can be sold to families all over the world, but everything goes awry when M3GAN starts killing people. The greater implications of the conflict could cause a global incident, but the stakes were mostly contained to Gemma and Cady’s surroundings.

M3GAN 2.0 actually does go global, with the movie even opening with an overseas military operation. The higher stakes, combined with the intricate mapping of AMELIA’s creation and the Black Box’s mere presence in the story, make the overall plot far more convoluted than the original. Rather than being breezy, escapist fun, M3GAN 2.0 became harder to follow.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney called the movie “a convoluted mishmash,” going on to add that it “becomes a drag as confusion spirals around who’s controlling Amelia and how to stop her.” It seems that rather than trying to build upon the first movie’s strengths, M3GAN 2.0 overextended itself and struggled to keep its plot contained.

1

M3GAN 2.0’s Campiness Just Isn’t The Same

It’s Almost Trying Too Hard

The best part of M3GAN was its campy tone and unabashed ridiculousness. From M3GAN singing “тιтanium” completely unprompted to her dancing right before viciously killing two men, the first movie leaned into its over-the-top nature to great effect, propelling itself to viral infamy.

Unfortunately, this means the team behind M3GAN 2.0 were all too aware of what audiences grew attached to and sought to replicate that same energy. As Baughan noted in her review, it made everything seem “overly self-aware,” to the point of no longer feeling quite as natural.

M3GAN gave the impression it had stumbled into its silliness, that it was a natural addition to the story. The sequel instead pushed the notion too hard, and it felt like it was merely checking off boxes. M3GAN sings and dances in this one as well, but those moments come across as obligatory plot points that wink at the audience.

It must be noted that a 57% score still indicates a positive majority on Rotten Tomatoes, and in the case of M3GAN 2.0, audiences have gifted it an 82% score, which is actually better than the first movie’s. Nevertheless, critics felt the sequel fell far short when it came to story, genre, and originality, leaving Blumhouse’s latest to be deemed a mixed bag.

Source: Various (see above)