NEW YORK – The same crackling wit that marked the 2022 debut of the murderously malfunctioning android of the title is present again as she makes a seemingly unlikely comeback in “M3GAN 2.0” (Universal). As was the case with the original film, however, her latest adventures are best savored by mature moviegoers.
This time out, M3GAN takes on a rival robot who’s threatening the world with technological ruin. In fact, it’s only the prospect of such an apocalypse that convinces Gemma (Allison Williams), the electronics designer who first developed M3GAN, to overcome her initial reluctance and fully reanimate her creation.
Conflict over the wisdom of doing so is just one of the points of tension keeping Gemma at odds with Cady (Violet McGraw), the now-teenage orphaned niece Gemma took in at the start of the first movie. As veterans of that outing will recall, Gemma hoped M3GAN would be both a babysitter for and guardian to Cady — with whose emotional needs Gemma felt unable to cope.
Considering that Cady herself had had to disable M3GAN after she proved fatally overprotective, her ambivalence about her would-be protector’s reappearance is understandable. So, too, are the similarly mixed feelings on this subject shared by Gemma’s co-workers and fellow tech whizes, Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps).
Returning director Gerard Johnstone, who also wrote the script for his sequel, devotes considerable time to an earnest background debate over the relative merits and dangers of Artificial Intelligence. Partly, this is presented through the quasi-Luddite sensibilities of Gemma’s recently acquired — and thoroughly pompous — boyfriend, Christian (Aristotle Athari).
Unsurprisingly, this sober-minded material proves less entertaining than the deadpan zingers M3GAN continues to launch at the humans who surround her. So the intervals between these pointed observations tend to drag.
Still, the comedy, when it returns, only occasionally lapses into vulgarity. As a result, overall, “M3GAN 2.0” — like its predecessor — is an enjoyable lark for grown-ups, even if it is too hardwired for youngsters.
The film contains much harsh havoc with brief gore, several uses of profanity, at least one instance each of milder swearing and rough language and occasional crude and crass talk. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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