Reviews
‘M3GAN 2.0’ Review – The AI Icon Slays Her Bigger, Badder and Messier Sequel
The impeccably dressed and choreographed murderbot is back two years after going viral over dance moves in the sequel M3GAN 2.0, and, in true diva fashion, the killer AI isn’t interested in repeating herself. Returning director Gerard Johnstone, who also wrote the script based on story conceived with original screenwriter Akela Cooper, picks up from a tiny plot seed planted in M3GAN, in which a CEO’s assistant stole Gemma’s secrets for profit, to provide new genre slaying grounds for the meme sensation. That lets this sequel double down on what worked, namely its instantly iconic title character and camp humor.
Since the events of the previous film, M3GAN’s creator, Gemma (Allison Williams), has become an author and advocate for AI oversight in atonement for unleashing tech responsible for multiple deaths. Her niece Cady (Violet McGraw), now a rebellious teen, struggles both against her guardian’s overprotective nature and how her friendship with M3GAN ended. It turns out that Gemma and Cady will have plenty of time to reconcile their feelings over M3GAN when they’re forced to resurrect her to square off against a new high-powered killer AI, Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), born of M3GAN’s stolen blueprints and determined to unleash an AI apocalypse.
(from left) M3gan and Cady (Violet McGraw) in M3GAN 2.0 directed by Gerard Johnstone.
There’s a self-awareness to M3GAN 2.0 that works in favor of and against it. The sassy doll became such a fast fan favorite in 2023, and this sequel dedicates itself to delivering more of her. During the fairly fast-paced bid to revive M3GAN and get her into the fray, the sequel re-establishes the core dynamics between human protagonists Gemma and Cady, namely their dysfunction. The brief two years between films means residual issues to work through, with trust issues and Gemma’s lingering remorse at the forefront. Throw in Cady’s teen angst, a new love interest for Gemma in Christian (Aristotle Athari), and company stressors that have colleagues Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jan Van Epps) feeling disregarded, and you have endless emotional conflict played up for dramatic effect.
Once M3GAN enters the equation properly, though, the human conflicts get shoved aside with little room to resolve any of them. It also means that giant leaps are taken to bridge Gemma and Cady’s natural reluctance to trust M3GAN with the killer AI’s inevitable redemption. In other words, in a film that pits two high-tech weapons against each other in a series of escalating, outlandish action sci-fi sequences, it’s the human storylines and arcs that require the most suspension of disbelief.
The star of the show, at least, more than delivers. Amie Donald and Jenna Davis are both back to reprise M3GAN’s uncanny physicality and deadpan zingers, respectively. Even better is that they’re given more to do, with M3GAN getting much more screen time. That also means multiple iterations, various states of battle damage, and, of course, new fits. Weta Workshop handles some of the practical effects, particularly with the robotic animatronics involved. It’s a M3GAN showcase, both narratively and visually, ticking off the meme boxes while evolving the character to ensure her original programming goal is finally met with satisfaction.
(from left) M3gan and Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno) in M3GAN 2.0 directed by Gerard Johnstone.
It’s Donald and Davis’ pitch-perfect performances, along with Cooper’s talent for coming up with outrageous and absurd horror setups so comically fun, that offsets the sequel’s messier impulses. It’s the type of sequel that favors spectacle above all else, eroding the sharpness of its satirical commentary on AI and falling into a more predictable trajectory that wears its cinematic influences on its sleeves. Comparisons to Terminator 2: Judgment Day are apt and earned, but M3GAN 2.0 also borrows liberally from Upgrade and wedges in a Knight Rider bit. It knows exactly what type of movie it is, which means the humor either really lands or misses its mark entirely.
M3GAN 2.0 takes full advantage of its bigger budget, delivering more expansive set pieces and slicker production values. Its plot is more of a means to let M3GAN off the leash and induce chaos with her trademark brand of dry sarcasm and panache. The switch from horror to action sci-fi with a few horror-coded scenes surprisingly comes with a higher body count, and Johnstone navigates deftly around that PG-13 rating with a few bursts of inspired violence. It all makes for great summer escapism fun, even if it’s messy. It ultimately succeeds where it matters most: M3GAN never loses her edge in her infectious journey from villain to hero.
M3GAN 2.0 dances into theaters on June 27, 2025.
Movies
‘Recluse’ Review – Harrowing Haunted House Horror With Lots Of Skeletons In Its Closet [Tribeca 2026]
A haunted house story is tense, terrifying storytelling when it’s properly executed. There’s been a growing tendency in horror to blend together harrowing haunted house stories with traumatic homecomings. A family member’s illness or death triggers a return to something dark that was intentionally left behind. Recluse hits all the tropes that one expects to find in this type of horror film, yet it manages to push this story in a daring, disturbing new direction that uses sound as a superpower.
It’s a unique lens to experience a familiar story about family secrets, generational trauma, unresolved grief, and the importance of not just legacy, but preservation. It’s a hell of a directorial debut from Henry Chaisson that’s guaranteed to get under the audience’s skin as they’re dragged through this painful, toxic tale.
Recluse is a gothic haunted house story where an isolated audio engineer, Joan (Sasha Frolova), returns to her family’s estate to check in on her father after he suffers a terrible accident. Joan suddenly discovers something much more sinister that paints her family’s tragedies in a very different light. Chaisson’s debut functions as a fascinating companion piece to this year’s undertone, which does a lot of the same things.
These two films make for a fascinating case of parallel thinking that tackles comparable subject matter through a similar lens, albeit in a bigger, less claustrophobic story in Recluse’s case. In fact, it’s the perfect horror film for anyone who was let down by undertone and didn’t feel like it brought enough to the table. It’s a considerably more conventional horror film, but this isn’t meant to denigrate its high quality. Recluse may hit some familiar notes, but it’s a scary, well-crafted haunted house horror story that goes for the jugular.
A gripping mystery that involves the tragic, unresolved circumstances that surround Joan’s mother teases a chilling connection to the recent horrors that have afflicted her father. Joan desperately tries to put these pieces together and give her family some sense of grander peace before she’s pulled under and becomes another victim of this festering curse that’s systematically worked its way through the Wyatt family. By doing so, Recluse digs into some deeper commentary on collective trauma, a very literal look at the “sins of the father” adage, and how one selfish decision can ripple through generations and fracture off into different dilemmas. By the end, Recluse has brilliantly flipped the powerful concept of legacy on its head by illustrating the horrors and sense of entitlement that can be born out of this idea.
A legacy is just another name for a curse under the right context.
”Listen” is a simple but powerful command from Joan’s father that she briefly obsesses over. In a way, it becomes Recluse’s grander mission statement, whether it’s in response to Joan listening to the people in her life, the signals that her body and mind are telling her, or the world’s greater whims. It’s important to reconnect with these grounding pillars, especially when it feels like control is slipping away.
Recluse excels with how audio and soundscapes can create entire universes that are full of rich details that transport individuals to these environments. There’s also a level of objectivity when it comes to audio recordings and the evergreen permanence that they’re able to provide. Joan’s career as an audio engineer makes sense for someone who wants to cling to hard evidence and proof of existence. It provides great insight into Joan without ever getting lost in contrived exposition.
Joan’s entire life is built around audio engineering, and so it makes sense that Recluse features excellent sound design that really goes above and beyond with its production elements. All of the sound design is expertly handled and turns the film into something special. These auditory elements intuitively keep the audience on edge so that they’re more susceptible to the actual scares that eventually strike. The smallest sound effect gets turned into a crushing, cacophonous assault. It’s a really effective way to build terror. Writer/Director Chaisson also handles the film’s music, which achieves a sublime, unnerving dissonance that further heightens the free-floating anxiety.
The story at the center of Recluse is slightly generic in some respects, but the film’s visual language and tone make it feel distinctly memorable. It also doesn’t hurt that the home that Joan returns to is basically an eerie art studio that’s full of contorted paintings. Recluse never struggles to generate mounting dread and terror that pump through every scene. Powerful, thoughtful cinematography consistently reinforces the film’s themes. Joan is constantly reflected in different surfaces or viewed through mirrors. She’s also often confined to tight, constricting framing that all speaks to her refracted identity during this moment of loss and her attempts to regain agency and control by making sense of something that’s seemingly unexplainable.
Recluse is full of truly disturbing visuals that make it seem like Joan is lost in a dream that turns out to be an extended nightmare. It’s a surreal journey reminiscent of invasive psychological horror like Silent Hill, with a touch of Sinister and Hereditary thrown in for good measure. There are so many individual frames that could endlessly fuel urban legends and creepypastas.
It does a great job with how it presents Joan’s fragile state of mind, where chilling flashes of the past sneak up on her and unresolved trauma manifests into unsettling imagery. There are endless shots that are obscured in darkness, or shadow is creeping in from the corners of frames like a suffocating force of nature. It’s very rare that a scene is fully lit. It leads to a very lonely, isolating atmosphere that’s easy to get lost in.
Chaisson’s debut stands out from the many other high-minded haunted house horror films without succumbing to the same pretensions that often drag down these stories. It’s a grief-stricken character study that’s full of upsetting visuals that scratch at something visceral and raw. The horror elements connect, and the answers to its grander mystery provide an appropriate and believable sense of closure. Those who are looking for an atmospheric horror film that isn’t afraid to be different while still channeling something real will appreciate Recluse.
Recluse made its world premiere at Tribeca; release info TBD.
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