I joined CTV NewsChannel anchor Roger Peterson to have a look at new movies coming to theatres, including the wicked quick “F1,” the AI action of “M3GAN 2.0,” and the family drama of “His Father’s Son.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the wicked quick “F1,” the AI action of “M3GAN 2.0,” and the family drama of “His Father’s Son.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the wicked quick “F1,” the AI action of “M3GAN 2.0,” and the family drama of “His Father’s Son.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: Three years after the first film, “M3GAN 2.0” sees Gemma (Allison Williams), an author and AI regulation advocate, upgrade child-sized humanoid robot doll M3GAN to stop Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), a military android, from wreaking havoc with an AI takeover. “Humans are no longer necessary,” says Amelia.
CAST: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, and Jenna Davis, Ivanna Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp, and Jemaine Clement. Written and directed by Gerard Johnstone.
REVIEW: Not every movie needs a sequel. Case in point, “M3GAN,” a 2022 anti-hero story that blended kitsch, humor and horror with some snazzy dancing and a knowing wink. It’s a standalone bit of fun.
In other words, almost the exact opposite of its sequel.
Plotwise it’s basically a remake of “Terminator 2,” the movie that saw a revamped T-800 protect young John Connor from the new and improved T-1000 (Robert Patrick).
Similarly, over the course of two movies M3GAN (performed by Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) has morphed from villain to hero. The once deadly doll with an overprotective disposition and some cool dance moves still has a mean streak but now uses it to rescue her best pal Cady (Violet McGraw) from the hands of a homicidal military android named A.M.E.L.I.A. (Ivanna Sakhno). “Everyone deserves a second chance,” says Cady.
Like the T-800, Megan 2.0 develops human values and finds redemption and becomes the hero of the story.
So, “M3GAN 2.0” says, “Hasta la vista, baby” to creativity, which would be OK—Hollywood cannibalizes itself all the time—if it maintained its sense of buoyancy. Instead, director Gerard Johnstone made a talky film that manages a laugh or two and has some frenetic action but is a bit of an anemic slog.
Exposition heavy, it’s as these characters never met a situation they couldn’t over explain. Much of the talk reflects Hollywood’s AI anxiety, and much time is spent on AI’s ability to evolve beyond its programming and/or develop a moral conscience.
“M3GAN 2.0” trades the kitschy horror vibe of the original for a convoluted plea for rules surrounding AI. It’s got a bad case of sequelitis, the main symptom of which is forgetting what made the first one so much fun.
