Universal and Blumhouse’s first M3gan feature came out of nowhere with a premise so ridiculous and campy that it was hard not to be at least a little intrigued. Equal parts Child’s Play and Small Wonder, M3gan was undeniably silly with its story about an AI-powered doll who sang Sia’s “Titanium” and danced around as she chopped people’s heads off. But the movie struck a near-perfect balance between straight horror and comedy that made it a delight to see in a crowded theater.

M3gan also killed at the box office, to the tune of $180 million against a modest $12 million budget. That made it all too easy for Universal to greenlight and fast-track a bigger, more expensive sequel, but it was unclear where, exactly, the new franchise might go next. There’s a pointed cleverness to the way returning director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper evolve their murderous doll’s story with M3gan 2.0. And you can see in the film’s action-forward sci-fi turn how much more money was put into its production.

Like many horror sequels, though, M3gan 2.0 has a tough time living up to its predecessor as it brings back the original cast to take on a few new AI threats. It’s by no means a terribl …

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