M3GAN 2.0 First Reviews: A Campy, Over-the-Top Thrill Ride

NewsCritics say the sci-fi sequel flips the first film on its head, leaning more into the action and campy humor than its horror elements, and mostly succeeds.TAGGED AS: Horror, movies, Sci-Fi, thrillerAs with any horror movie that makes a big splash, 2022’s M3GAN has spawned a sequel, yet the follow-up has shed its genre roots.

Ahead of its release this weekend, the first reviews of M3GAN 2.0 have arrived online, mostly focused on its switch to sci-fi action, for better or worse, and the decision to turn its titular, immediately iconic robot character into a hero — though maybe not necessarily a “good girl.” While some fans of the original may be disappointed, those looking for another goofy film satirizing AI should still be entertained.

Here’s what critics are saying about M3GAN 2.0:Does it live up to the original?It might even be better.— Dan Bayer, Next Best PictureIf you loved M3GAN, you’ll have quite the fun ride with the sequel.— Rachel Leishman, The Mary SueThe sequel takes the stakes of the original and multiplies them tenfold… [and] takes exactly what people loved about the original and heightens it to the nth degree.

— Emma Kiely, ColliderWhat made the first film such an instant hit… really can’t be replicated, but this edition is so jacked-up we still can dig it for what it is.— Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood DailyAs a M3GAN sequel, I’m not sure it works. As a film deeply inspired by the insane action thrillers from the early ’90s that played ad nauseum on USA Network in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday?

It rocks.— BJ Colangelo, SlashfilmThere’s a surprising amount of fun to be had with M3GAN 2.0 – a bigger and funnier sequel which could stand to pull back on both of those elements.— Kambole Campbell, Little White LiesM3GAN 2.0 isn’t as much fun as the first film.— Owen Gleiberman, Variety(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)Is the title character still a lot of fun?

Everyone’s favorite killer robot doll is back – with all her wit and fabulosity intact.— Dan Bayer, Next Best PictureM3GAN 2.0’s greatest strength is the same as the original movie’s: M3GAN herself… endlessly charming, both snarky and practical, and is never tired of shooting insults at Gemma.— Emma Kiely, ColliderThe series’ crowning achievement remains M3gan herself… a funny, sassy, personable character that is still always eerily automated.

— Josh Larsen, LaresenOnFilmShe’s back, but not as the “B” we once knew and loved.— Matt Donato, Daily DeadShe starts acquiring empathy and morality, which we all know are no fun.— David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterM3GAN 2.0 works when M3GAN is front and center, but as it stands now, there’s just not enough of her.

— Kristen Lopez, The Film MavenWill it inspire any memes like the first movie?If you thought after the first movie that this killer doll was just a viral blip in the world, M3GAN 2.0 is here to tell you in the most deliciously over-the-top way that you are very wrong.— Emma Kiely, ColliderJohnstone has written a cavalcade of zingers for M3GAN and Gemma that will give this film just as much of an online presence as the first film enjoyed.

— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)Does it lean into the campy tone?A lot campier, leaning into the titular doll’s new status as a queer icon.— Emma Kiely, ColliderThere is something incredibly fun about horror movies leaning into the campier side. Especially when they are funnier the second time around.

And that’s what happened with M3GAN 2.0.— Rachel Leishman, The Mary SueThe campy sense of mischief that made Gerard Johnstone’s 2023 hit M3GAN so enjoyable asserts itself intermittently in M3GAN 2.0.— David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterThe borderline-camp quality of M3GAN isn’t completely gone… but this one plays it with less overt cheekiness.

— Owen Gleiberman, VarietyThe first M3gan was the perfect blend of horror and comedy. It is a little campy, but nothing compared to the amount of campiness that oozes out of M3gan 2.0.— Tessa Smith, Mama’s GeekyWhere M3GAN fell into the world of unintentional camp, M3GAN 2.0 inhabits the world of Bad Straight Camp.

— BJ Colangelo, SlashfilmIs it funnier?I really loved that this movie felt a bit more funny than the first… Taking the bits of humor from the first and amping it up for the second allows these outlandish characters and circumstances to really shine.— Rachel Leishman, The Mary SueM3GAN 2.0 can just be funny whenever and however it wants, which is quite often and in just about every way imaginable.

— Dan Bayer, Next Best PictureM3GAN 2.0 can be quite amusing at times… but it can also be forced in its comedic approach, hoping to impress with more viral TikTok energy.— Matt Donato, Daily DeadM3GAN 2.0 is amusing at moments, overblown at others.— Owen Gleiberman, VarietyIt fully embraces the ridiculousness of the plot, making it a whole lot of fun to watch.

— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)Will horror fans be disappointed?This quickly assembled follow-up retains the horror elements of the first but really mixes it up with some kickass sci-fi action sequences that actually make for a lot of fun and a much bigger feel.— Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood DailyThe sequel offers a few glimpses at horror, but it is more silly than anything else.

— Tessa Smith, Mama’s GeekyThis second chapter is so driven by antics – and wisely so – that it barely qualifies as horror at all.— Robbie Collin, Daily TelegraphJohnstone eschews any trace of horror in favor of tame espionage hijinks and beat-‘em-up mayhem.— Nick Schager, The Daily BeastWhile it’s unfair to criticize Johnstone for wanting to change things up, it’s disappointing that he’s made a Blumhouse–Atomic Monster production that has almost no connection to horror.

— David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterWill it remind us of any other movies?It’s a convoluted mishmash with shades of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Mission: Impossible, and the Austin Powers franchise.— David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterThe film might as well be called M2: Judgment Day for how much it cribs from James Cameron’s classic.

— Cody Dericks, AwardsWatchThe result is something like a Mission: Impossible movie that’s replaced Tom Cruise with Robocop.— Josh Larsen, LaresenOnFilmM3GAN 2.0 is the Aliens to M3GAN’s Alien, except even less dedicated to horror.— Matt Donato, Daily DeadM3GAN 2.0 is the Army of Darkness of the franchise, if you will.

— Tessa Smith, Mama’s GeekyTonally, the genre it most recalls, in fact, is a very specific one: films from the Eighties and Nineties, which you’d swear had originally been aimed at children but discover on rewatching that they’re completely unsuitable for anyone below their mid-teens; think Gremlins, Kindergarten Cop, and so on.

— Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)How are the fight scenes?The fights between the two robots have a kinetic sense of style that makes up for the film’s uncertain pacing elsewhere… It’s not the most innovative action, but it’s exciting to watch.— Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture[There is] some exciting action, building up to a cleverly staged confrontation between the two AI entities.

— Josh Larsen, LaresenOnFilmAMELIA and M3GAN’s fights are enthralling to watch, as laws of physics are stretched in the same larger-than-life way that makes the 2000s Charlie’s Angels movies such beloved classics.— Emma Kiely, ColliderYou will still be on the edge of your seat during the fights as they are just as good as the ones in M3gan.

— Tessa Smith, Mama’s GeekyAs far as the action is concerned, Gerard Johnstone clearly worships at the altar of Sam Raimi, and while nothing quite reaches his level of visual punch, there’s a lot more creativity here than in typical mid-budget Hollywood fare.— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment WeeklySome of the fights do become a little numbing after a while.

— Kambole Campbell, Little White LiesDoes the script have anthing to say about AI?The film digs deeper into the question of artificial intelligence and society’s increasing dependence on technology…genuinely engaging with it while never lecturing the audience.— Dan Bayer, Next Best PictureDon’t try to parse out poignant AI commentaries because the story itself is a jumble of cybersecurity concerns and softball advocacy.

— Matt Donato, Daily DeadThe film ends on a wimpy “let’s all get along” note, as if potentially ruinous AI tech is an inevitable development for humanity rather than an avoidable fate.— Cody Dericks, AwardsWatchThe new movie states the obvious when it talks up the need for humans to co-exist with robotics technology… but it’s too silly to have much bearing on the real world.

— David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterM3GAN 2.0 is a rambling affair that lurches wildly in so many different directions that it feels like the film is searching, in real time, for a point. It fails to find one.— Nick Schager, The Daily BeastWill clips of M3GAN 2.0 appear in AI documentaries 50 years from now, as an example of what we poor saps worried was on the horizon?

Almost inevitably.— Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)How’s the new robot villain?AMELIA ranks alongside Kristanna Loken in Terminator 3, Natasha Henstridge in Species, and Mathilda May in Lifeforce (a personal fave) as a dangerous, inhuman beauty that quickly turns men to jelly.

— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment WeeklySakhno’s character, AMELIA, is so close a cousin to Kristanna Loken’s T-X from Terminator 3 as to be a little sister. The performance is fine, albeit Sakhno’s is just meant to look seductive and robotic.— Kristen Lopez, The Film MavenAMELIA’s quadrupedal scuttle has a stop-motion feel that adds to the film’s comic bite.

— Robbie Collin, Daily TelegraphMuch less entertaining… an icy blonde killing machine like so many icy blonde killing machines before her, with none of M3GAN’s sardonic wit.— David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterAre there any notable performances?Once again, [Allison] Williams is the film’s secret weapon, taking Gemma’s character arc just seriously enough for the emotion to land without shifting the movie off its too-cool-for-school axis.

— Dan Bayer, Next Best PictureAll of the players deliver, and there is a very amusing supporting turn from none other than Jemaine Clement as an Elon Musk-style tech billionaire.— Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood DailyThe most credit has to be given to Jenna Davies, the voice of M3GAN. Aided by Amie Donald, who performs the physical version of the character, Davies is crucial to making M3GAN a new horror icon.

— Emma Kiely, Collider(Photo by Geoffrey Short/©Universal Pictures)Will the sequel leave us wanting more M3GAN?A spinoff to M3GAN is already en route, but here’s hoping the main series continues forever.— Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment WeeklyHere’s hoping that M3GAN 3.0 is brasher, funkier, crazier.— Owen Gleiberman, VarietyThis sequel is the sort of janky, ill-conceived update that fatally bricks the franchise.

— Nick Schager, The Daily BeastIf the franchise is to continue, [M3GAN] needs to go back to the lab for reprogramming.— David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterM3GAN 2.0 opens in theaters on June 27, 2025.On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.