M3GAN 2.0, THE HORROR OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BACK

 

HORROR AND COMEDY TOGETHER

M3GAN 2.0, produced by UNIVERSAL PICTURES, BLUMHOUSE and ATOMIC MONSTER, premiered in New York on June 24, 2025. The original creative team behind the phenomenon horror series, JAMES WAN (for Atomic Monster), JASON BLUM (for Blumhouse) and writer-director GERARD JOHNSTONE, is leading the way for a wild and new chapter in AI horror with M3GAN 2.0. Not wanting to repeat himself, director Johnstone wanted to approach the character and story from a fresh perspective. This time, M3gan represents an artificial intelligence with positive potential, while its enemy Amelia symbolizes the dark side—an evil created to harm, with a deep destructive potential for humanity. The film, which makes us think deeply about how parenting and child development are being reshaped by artificial intelligence and technology entering our lives, shows the audience that artificial intelligence behaviors are a result of the way they are raised, that they can learn to distinguish right from wrong, and that they will behave as they are commanded and trained. In addition, the M3GAN character shows us that it is now a phenomenon with its jokes and fun quips that make references to pop culture throughout the film.

 Stars: Allison Williams, Jemaine Clement, Violet McGraw, Jenna Davis (voice), Amie Donald, Ivanna Sakhno, Brian Jordan Alvarez and Aristotle Athari.

TOPIC OF THE FILM

It has been 2 years since the magnificent artificial intelligence M3GAN went on a killing spree and was destroyed. M3GAN’s creator Gemma has become a high-profile author and a spokesperson for government control over AI. Meanwhile, Gemma’s 14-year-old niece Cady has begun to defy Gemma’s overprotective rules. But unbeknownst to Gemma and Cady, M3GAN’s core technology has been stolen and turned into a military-grade weapon called Amelia by a powerful defense industry corporation. Amelia was designed to be the ultimate killer robot. With the future of humanity at stake, Gemma has only one choice: bring M3GAN back to life and equip her with several upgrades, making her faster, stronger, and much more deadly. Now M3GAN is about to face her most formidable opponent yet.

CHOREOGRAPHY AND MOVEMENT

To develop the film’s stylized movements, the team turned to movement coach Luke Hawker again. Hawker helped shape the physical styles of both M3gan and Amelia. With a background in acting, stunts, martial arts and creature performance, Hawker worked closely with Amie Donald, who plays M3gan, and Ivanna Sakhno, who plays Amelia, to determine how their characters would move, fight and interact. He also worked with stunt coordinator Isaac Hamon and the stunt team to develop unique fighting styles for each robot, movements that were consistent with their character’s design and purpose, whether for fast-paced combat or more dramatic scenes. Hawker supported the development of the dance choreography throughout the rehearsal process and on set, with Donald’s New Zealand choreographer KYLIE NORRIS also joining the project. To finalize M3gan’s dance, the filmmakers brought on board renowned Chinese robotic performance artist BARBIN. BARBIN’s motion capture performance brought the M3gan to life with impressive precision.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Like the first M3GAN film, this new installment was shot in New Zealand, primarily at Studio West in West Auckland. For fans of M3GAN’s deadly choreography, this film will not disappoint. Writer-director Gerard Johnstone wanted to push the boundaries of what the character could do. For the film’s lighting and camera aesthetic, Johnstone and cinematographer Toby Oliver designed a look that nods to the past. While this is a story about technology and the future, they wanted the film to look sterile or overly clean. Shooting with anamorphic lenses helped give the film the grainy, textured look of ’80s films like Total Recall (1990),  Robocop (1987) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986).

 

M3GAN 2.0, a horror, comedy and science fiction film, is a blockbuster production that takes the action level of the first film to the next level and beautifully blends elements of suspense and humor.

EFE TEKSOY