Back when M3GAN first dropped, I said this franchise wouldn’t survive the test of time or the praise it accidentally earned. Sure, it had TikTok dances, a marketable villain, and just enough PG-13 horror to trick people into thinking this was the next horror icon.
Now we’ve got M3GAN 2.0—a film that completely abandons any hope of being classified as horror and instead asks you to take a killer doll seriously while it throws out witty quips, builds a doomsday bunker, and still finds time to break into a spontaneous dance routine.
So while I’ll admit I was initially wrong, it looks like my prediction might be coming true—because this movie cranks up the sci-fi and hopes you won’t notice it blatantly ripped its entire premise from Terminator 2.
While the first film was more about a girl and her overprotective killer doll, M3GAN 2.0 is more of a doomsday scenario about what happens when the U.S. military decides to take that same doll and go, “Hey, remember that murderbot from a couple of years ago? Let’s weaponize it.” Because clearly, nothing could go wrong with that.
So it should come as no surprise when, minutes into her first mission, she goes off-script and casually murders everyone in the immediate area—including the person she was sent there to rescue. Because again, reprogramming the murder doll was a good idea.
The movie then reintroduces us to Cady and Gemma. Gemma’s life appears to be thriving. She’s become a spokesperson for the dangers of AI (but still believes AI can be used for good if placed in the right hands), she’s a best-selling author, and she’s shacking up professionally with Christian Bradley—another advocate against AI, who pronounces his name like a d-bag. So basically, she’s doing great since almost being murdered by a doll.
Now, soaked in foreshadowing, Gemma is still in the robot business and working on an exo-suit—proving she talks about regulating AI while actively building more of it.
She’s then visited by Alton, a billionaire knockoff of Tony Stark, who put a computer chip in his brain so he can sync with any AI system, make calls, and send pics just by blinking. It also somehow lets him walk, despite being originally confined to a Professor X–style hoverchair. So again, this dude is basically a douche version of Tony Stark.
He wants Gemma to join forces with him. Naturally, she refuses. She hates AI, remember? And this guy runs on it. Then she gives the ominous warning: “If you put AI inside a human brain, it’s not going to ride shotgun.” Again with the foreshadowing.
Then, enough of the setup—bring on the action. Gemma wakes up in the middle of the night to find her home being invaded by men in black, but luckily her AI-infused smart home warns her via properly selected words on TV channels. Wait—wasn’t this what Bumblebee did with the radio?
Calling 911 as one naturally does, Gemma gets the startling revelation that M3GAN isn’t dead—she’s been secretly hiding in her home’s AI system. Like an evil version of Alexa. Wait—why does someone who doesn’t trust AI live in a house powered by it?
The intruders turn out to be the U.S. Government—remember them? They reveal: “Hey, remember that murder doll you made? We revived her and made her into a weapon. Surprise. Oh, and now she’s killing everyone involved in her creation. Also, we might charge you with treason.”
With treason on the table, Gemma now has to deal with the fact that M3GAN is somehow back—but like the T-1000 in T2, this killer robot is now programmed to do good. Get ready, because from here on out, this movie becomes a rehash of T2.
M3GAN offers to help stop AMELIA—who might bring on the literal end of the world. Together, the two go to Alton’s party, with M3GAN inhabiting a weird futuristic version of a Speak & Spell robot. Because why not bring the killer AI with you—after all, you need to come with her if you want to live.
Cut to party time at Alton’s, where AMELIA crashes—literally—and murders him after stealing his biometrics. Apparently, this one guy had unlimited access to the world’s largest data systems, and now AMELIA is going to crash the global economy and trigger an AI apocalypse. Basically a robot doomsday, again—T2.
To survive, M3GAN tricks Gemma, Cady, and her two coworkers from the first film Cole and Tess, into a secret underground bunker—one she built herself. If you weren’t convinced this movie was stupid yet, this is where you give up hope.
Then, because new M3GAN suddenly feels remorse, she gives a sob story about only acting out because she was hurt and now wants to rehabilitate. So naturally, the group of idiots—I mean engineers—agree to build her a new body, because clearly she’s changed and all the murder-murder-stabby-stabby is out of her system.
Cue montage. We watch them build M3GAN 2.0. They have the technology. She’s bigger, stronger, apparently taller—just make sure to keep her face or she’ll cut you. Oh, and make sure she can still dance. That’s apparently critical.
Then the plot drops the next twist: AMELIA is searching for a secret blacksite containing the first sentient AI—a motherboard built in 1984 that has been learning and plotting against humanity ever since. So yeah, you’re telling me… an Atari is the key to wiping out the world?
With this knowledge and her new boss fight body, M3GAN and the team gear up. They think AMELIA will strike Christian next at an AI convention.
They don’t stop her. But of course, we make time for another M3GAN dance scene. Because god forbid she doesn’t twirl once per movie.
AMELIA escapes—after kidnapping Cady—forcing Gemma to trust M3GAN. But not before M3GAN gives a heartfelt speech about what a good parent Gemma is… and then breaks into song. What the hell is happening. I thought this was supposed to be a killer doll.
With Christian now helping the team, he reveals he knows where the motherboard is. It’s been sitting in the dark for decades, waiting for its chance to end civilization. So yeah—basically Skynet.
At this point, the movie briefly abandons Terminator and goes full Mission: Impossible—complete with vent crawling and dramatic power grid shutdowns. Again, this is a killer doll movie.
What follows? Robot fight scenes. Carnage. A nanochip jammed into Gemma’s skull, linking her consciousness to M3GAN. All of it circling back to that “AI won’t ride shotgun” foreshadowing, and yes—another come with me if you want to live moment.
Then comes the big twist: Christian was behind everything. Shocking. The AI safety guy is anti-AI. He’s been controlling AMELIA from day one to prove AI is dangerous. So really this plot is just a long, loud PSA against ChatGPT.
Meanwhile, Cole and Cady find AMELIA’s offline body, reboot her with old M3GAN code, and fix everything by unleashing a more polished killer robot. The logic? Flawless.
Once free, AMELIA does what she was built to do—kills Christian, severs his hand, and uses it to access the Motherboard of Mass Destruction. You know, the 1980s data brick that apparently controls all global tech. Like an evil Lite-Brite powered by Skynet’s dropout roommate.
Final showdown time. M3GAN vs. AMELIA in what’s basically a battle of the terminators. Punches are thrown. Wires ripped. The world teeters. Then, in full T2 fashion, M3GAN sacrifices herself, using the built-in EMP Gemma installed to fry them both. I was honestly waiting for her to give a thumbs-up as she fell into a vat.
The good guys win—but at what cost?
Oh, never mind. Let’s drag this out.
Turns out M3GAN is still alive. She backed herself up again—this time into Gemma’s home computer. Into that little paperclip helper.
Wait—that thing still exists?
So. M3GAN is alive.
Oh yay. That means we get another one of these.
Because nothing in this franchise ever dies.
Especially not M3GAN.
M3GAN 2.0 is a killer doll movie… with a doll that doesn’t do much killing.
Instead, it trades in the horror aspect for sci-fi spectacle, inserts a redemption arc no one asked for, and leans so far into AI panic it forgets it was supposed to be a slasher.
Sure, the first one was hard to take seriously with the dance scene, but at least it got creepy at one point—and ended in murder. This one has a doll dancing onstage like a TikTok video and breaking into song. So how did murder turn into sappy?
Now, don’t get me wrong—some of it works. The action scenes are entertaining. The camera work is beautiful at times, especially during the Gemma exo-suit fight near the end. Even some of M3GAN’s quips can stir a chuckle out of you.
But nothing can hide the fact that this is no longer made for people who came in wanting horror. This isn’t a scary movie. It’s about a dancing, singing robot. It went from Chucky to Five Nights at Freddy’s.
It’s clear this movie isn’t meant for anyone born before the year 2000. This is a movie for people who’ve never seen the Terminator franchise—specifically T2. Because this film clearly thinks it’s that for a new generation.
You’ve got one rogue AI trying to destroy the world, and another—programmed to protect humanity—spending half the movie crying about emotions and telling you it’s okay to feel.
It’s not.
I came here for a killer.
I got a character study with hydraulics.
This franchise started with a fun premise: what if your kid’s best friend went full psycho?
Now it’s just sci-fi noise—and it’s been done better before.
I feel vindicated in my prediction. And while I know someone will dig a third film out of the scrap pile of twisted metal and used motor oil, one thing’s certain:
M3GAN is never going to be the next Chucky.
She aimed for the T-1000.
Fatal mistake.
So… hasta la vista, M3GAN.
But if we’re lucky?
You won’t be back.
