The arrival of Summer 2025 brings a wave of new experiences, from refreshing menu items promising seasonal delight to highly anticipated films vying for blockbuster status. But just as some summer treats fall flat, not every major movie release lives up to the hype. While the season offers diverse fare, including new animated adaptations and major franchise entries, the sequel M3GAN 2.0 has arrived with a significant shift that positions it, for many, as an early disappointment in the summer film slate.
M3GAN Goes Soft? The Sequel’s Core Problem
Following the surprising success of the original 2023 horror hit M3GAN, the sequel M3GAN 2.0 arrived with high expectations. Its marketing leaned into the title character’s internet-famous persona, featuring playful, almost tween-like taglines such as “HEY, QUEENS” and “I’M STILL THAT B.” This marketing hinted at a change, and the film delivers on that promise, representing a marked pivot from the character’s chilling debut.
While the original film saw M3GAN as a menacing force, albeit one with a penchant for unexpected dance breaks, M3GAN 2.0 explicitly moves the titular AI doll from outright villainy towards an unlikely hero or ally status.
A New Plot, A Different Genre
The plot of M3GAN 2.0 reunites key players, including M3GAN’s creator, the brilliant toy designer Gemma (Allison Williams), and her adopted niece Cady (Violet McGraw). Having learned from the disastrous consequences of unchecked AI and excessive screen time in the first film, Gemma is now a vocal advocate for technological moderation.
The sequel’s narrative introduces a new threat: AMELIA, a dangerous killer robot developed for governmental use, seemingly inspired by M3GAN’s technology. As AMELIA goes on a deadly rampage, M3GAN, now existing as a kind of digital entity haunting Gemma’s smart house, offers her assistance. Her goal? To protect Cady and regain a physical body. This setup leads to the unusual premise of building “a deranged robot to kill another one,” fundamentally shifting the movie’s focus.
This narrative choice transforms M3GAN 2.0 from a horror film into something much closer to an action movie. Sequences include Knight Rider-inspired car chases, wingsuit gliding, and M3GAN using her capabilities in more conventional combat scenarios, like employing forearm gas spray in a move reminiscent of Batman.
The Villain-to-Hero Pipeline in Franchises
The idea of a horror villain becoming more sympathetic, comedic, or even an ally isn’t new in cinema. Icons like Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Chucky (Child’s Play) evolved over their respective franchises, gaining charisma, delivering witty one-liners, and increasingly controlling the narrative, sometimes even engaging in surprisingly domestic lives in later entries. This contrasts with villains like Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) or Michael Myers (Halloween), who remain static, silent forces of nature.
The shift can also be purely functional for the plot, as seen with the T-Rex becoming an unexpected ally against the raptors in Jurassic Park or the T-800 switching from antagonist to protector in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. M3GAN’s trajectory in the sequel, becoming Cady’s protector against a newer, more dangerous cyborg (AMELIA), echoes this dynamic, particularly the T-800’s arc.
Why the Shift Disappoints
While the shift can inject new energy into a franchise, it often comes at a cost. For M3GAN 2.0, transforming the creepy, unpredictable killer doll into a wisecracking action hero feels like sanding off the very edges that made her appealing in the first place. The unique blend of horror parable and dark comedy from the original is largely replaced by manic energy and a predictable action plot.
The film is critiqued as feeling “defanged” and “verging on corny,” becoming “less frightening cinema.” Where the first movie offered a sharp, albeit absurd, commentary on the dangers of excessive screen time and AI, the sequel’s perceived message seems to be a simplified “be nice to AI.”
M3GAN 2.0 in the Summer 2025 Landscape
This sense of disappointment isn’t isolated in the Summer 2025 movie season. Other major releases have also faced criticism for how they handle established properties or meet expectations.
The live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, for instance, while praised by some for grounding its human story and focusing on the sisterly bond, received mixed reviews on its overall success in capturing the original’s charm and grappling with inconsistent visuals.
Similarly, Disney’s live-action Snow White remake was described by reviewers as a “ponderous and uneven retelling” and a “hollow cash grab” that deviated significantly from the classic tale, also landing with poor critical reception.
Another major franchise entry, Captain America: Brave New World, was widely called a “major disappointment,” suffering from inconsistency, a confusing plot, a weak villain, and failing to fully deliver on the promise of its new lead despite a strong performance from Anthony Mackie.
In contrast, some 2025 releases have managed to find success in continuing or expanding IPs, such as the animated Predator: Killer of Killers, which was well-received for its violent entertainment and effective world-building, proving that not all franchise extensions miss the mark.
Ultimately, M3GAN 2.0*, despite attempts to evolve its characters and deliver memorable lines and sequences, feels like a downgrade from its predecessor. By trading horror for a more predictable action-comedy structure and sacrificing its titular character’s chilling edge, it cements its place as one of the first notable movie disappointments of Summer 2025.
