M3GAN 2.0 Trailer Reveal: It's Gonna Be Bad, Not Fun

Summary

M3GAN 2.0 misses the charm of the original campy horror film with unexpected direction shifts.
The action hero approach distances from the original's balance of lightheartedness and macabre elements.
The sequel's transformation to a high-tech superhero film risks overshadowing the unique original charm.

When M3GAN was first released, it shocked people with its ability to tell a very good horror story with plenty of camp and laughs. When it was announced that Blumhouse was bringing M3GAN back to the big screen in 2025, there was much rejoicing. However, the first trailer for the sequel effectively punched a hole in the excitement in a big way.

One of the reasons that M3GAN seemed to have worked is that while there were some real horror elements to the James Wan film, the idea of a killer robot being created as a children’s toy and then going on killing spree didn’t take itself too seriously. There was some obvious camp and most importantly, there wasn’t the idea of the world really being at stake. However, the reveal of the M3GAN 2.0 trailer showed a film that looks like it’s leaning less into campy horror and more into a Mission Impossible style setting.

I Think Scream 7 & Other Upcoming Horror Sequels Need To Avoid This Common Pitfall`

Scream 7, Scary Movie, and some other horror sequels are coming out soon, and they need to be careful about one specific thing.

Posts

By Aya Tsintziras

M3GAN 2.0 Misses The Point Of The First Film

The good news is that M3GAN 2.0 appears to have a bigger budget. The special effects will be better and perhaps the story will even be a bit more coherent and feel less rushed. But it feels as if James Wan and Blumhouse missed why the first M3GAN was so popular with fans and even won over more than a few critics.

The idea that M3GAN can never really die was one of the reasons why the film was one of the best science fiction movies slated to release in 2025. It was one of the reasons that critics and audiences alike felt as though campy horror was making a real comeback. And in a lot of ways, it set the stage for horror movies in general to offer something other than the usual body horror of jump scares.

M3GAN 2.0
Directed By	Gerard Johnstone
Starring	Allison Williams Violet McGraw Brian Jordan Alvarez Jen Van Epps Amie Donald Jenna Davis Ivanna Sakhno Aristotle Athari Timm Sharp Jemaine Clement

The original M3GAN also offered a real glimpse at the dangers of the way that technology was moving forward. But it did so while being careful to not take itself too seriously. There wasn’t a ton of crazy action scenes. There weren’t massive explosions. There was just a family dealing with the aftermath of tragedy and then dealing with a murderous AI that just wanted to protect her girl. And things went from there.

Action Adventure Is A Massive Misstep For M3GAN 2.0

When making a list of things that fans wanted to see in M3GAN 2, it’s a safe bet that “bring M3GAN back as an action hero that has to stop another AI turned international assassin in order to save the world was not anywhere on there. Unfortunately, that is exactly what fans of the franchise are now getting.

They’ve also managed to bring back the AI and at first put her in a the body of what looks a bit like a Teletubby to make sure that she can’t hurt anyone.

The new trailer shows Gemma and Cady back again, as well as Gemma’s coworkers who helped build the first robot. They’ve also managed to bring back the AI and at first put her in a the body of what looks a bit like a Teletubby to make sure that she can’t hurt anyone.

The robot that can hurt anyone and everyone is a new model that for some reason has been turned into a full grown adult who looks perfectly human. She is also quite attractive, allowing her to get next to her targets. As the video shows, Amelia has gone rogue and is killing everyone that helped create her. And now it’s up to M3GAN to stop her.

As is the case with action movies like this, there is even a training montage where the movie makes sure to tell everyone that she’s bigger, stronger and faster. And of course, she’s promised to not hurt the same people she hurt the first time around. And then of course, the film promises that the two robots will indeed face off against one another. For a fanbase that was hoping for a return to the comedy horror, the idea that there’s going to be some big battle between robots seems to take the movie in a direction no one wanted, and no one asked for in M3GAN 2.0’s plot.

M3GAN 2.0 Didn’t Need To Be A Superhero Movie

M3GAN 2.0 might be trying to present itself as a bigger, bolder film with an even more intense storyline, but the big question is whether audiences truly want that kind of metamorphosis. The first movie had a lighthearted spirit that balanced effectively with its macabre elements, making it an unexpected delight. By transforming M3GAN into some sort of high-tech spy or superhero, Blumhouse risks losing the universal charm that helped the original film stand out from other horror offerings. The sequel’s approach to heavy action sequences, global peril, and unstoppable robots could overshadow the more subtle tension fans adored in the original. After all, M3GAN was fundamentally about the consequences of untested AI caretakers and the uneasy dynamic they can create within a close-knit family. That small-scale conflict introduced the perfect mixture of humor and fear, allowing the story to be both entertaining and cautionary at the same time.