Is “M3GAN 2.0” Appropriate for Kids? What to Know Before Seeing the Killer Robot Movie

NEED TO KNOW

M3GAN 2.0 is the sequel to the 2023 killer robot movie, M3GAN, starring Allison Williams

The follow-up strays away from horror, and leans into action, similar to previous blockbuster sequels like Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Director Gerard Johnstone tells PEOPLE that M3GAN 2.0 is "like a gateway horror movie for parents to take their kids to"

The first M3GAN was Child's Play for a new generation, but is M3GAN 2.0 suitable for children?

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The killer dancing android, who is voiced by Jenna Davis, became an overnight icon thanks to the 2023 campy horror movie, and now she is powering up for a new sequel that leans more action blockbuster than bloody gorefest.

Picking up two years after the events of the original movie, M3GAN 2.0, which premiered in theaters on June 27, reunites audiences with M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw).

Gemma is now an outspoken advocate for A.I. oversight, and Cady has become a teenager who is "rebelling" against her aunt's "overprotective rules," per the official synopsis.

When the technology for M3GAN is stolen to create a "military-grade weapon" called Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), Gemma and Cady must team up with M3GAN to defeat their new foe and save humanity.

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In the first M3GAN movie, the titular robot racked up her kill count by using everything from a paper cutter to a nail gun — but what about in the sequel? Are there more fight sequences than frightening scares?

Here's a parents' guide to M3GAN 2.0, and if the sequel is appropriate for a family night at the movies.

M3GAN is now the heroine

Universal Pictures

M3GAN the robot in "M3GAN"

Just like how Arnold Schwarzenegger went from unstoppable killing machine in The Terminator to overprotective bodyguard in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, M3GAN has switched sides, upgrading from evil to good, to help defeat an even more ruthless robot.

In April 2025, McGraw told ScreenRant that she "was excited" for M3GAN's new heroic turn.

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"I was like, 'Oh, how are we gonna do this?' And M3GAN 2.0 is literally upgraded," she said. "Everything you loved in the first film is in the second film. But even better."

Amie Donald, who physically portrays the murderous android on-screen, told The New York Times in June 2025 that M3GAN "is a very complicated robot."

"She really loves Cady, and she would do anything to protect her, no matter what. But she’s a very sassy person," she explained.

There’s a mix of horror and action scenes

Universal Pictures

M3GAN in "M3GAN 2.0"

M3GAN was a horror comedy, but M3GAN 2.0 leans more into the action genre, with director Gerard Johnstone telling Variety ahead of the movie's release that he "wanted it to feel like a summer blockbuster."

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"In terms of changing the genre, that just made it exciting to me," he continued. "I was like, ‘Oh my God, imagine if we went in this direction,’ because the character kind of earns it with all the things she can do."

Johnstone cited The Terminator and Evil Dead as two franchises that successfully changed categories, adding, "So there was no trepidation on my part at all about switching up genres."

In a June 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Williams said that making an action movie "was not even something that we had explicitly set out to do."

"But it just felt obvious to Gerard that if there’s a second doll, we are going to be in that genre now," she continued. "So we let ourselves enjoy that experience."

It is rated PG-13, so there's blood, but not too much gore

Universal Pictures

Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps in "M3GAN 2.0"

Per the Motion Picture Association, M3GAN 2.0 is rated PG-13 for "strong violent content, bloody images, some strong language, sexual material, and brief drug references."

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While speaking to PEOPLE, Johnstone said that to make it PG-13, "there were a few things that we had to tone down for this."

"Some things were really hard to let go of and other things it was like, 'Oh, that actually works better when we make that cut,' " he said. "So it's like a two-edged sword in a way.”

The movie features a child in peril, and some sexual jokes throughout

Universal Pictures

Robot in "M3GAN 2.0"

M3GAN 2.0 is more action-oriented, but be warned: there is still danger for the main characters. In one harrowing scene, 14-year-old Cady is dangled over a ledge.

The sequel also has sexual jokes throughout, and some explicit language — but with the PG-13 rating, it is suitable for teens.

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According to The New York Times, M3GAN 2.0 has "lots of cartoonish but brutal violence and some bad language."

The director describes it as "a gateway horror movie" for kids

Universal Pictures

Allison Williams and Jen Van Epps in "M3GAN 2.0"

M3GAN 2.0 could be a night out at the movies for the entire family — at least Johnstone thinks so.

"Some of my favorite horror — Insidious, Drag Me to Hell — are PG-13, so you can do it," he explained to PEOPLE. "It's like a gateway horror movie for parents to take their kids to. I'm a parent myself, and it sucks when you have to split the family up and figure out getting a babysitter and stuff like that just so you can go out to the movies."

"It's awesome when a movie can actually reach a wider audience," he added.

Read the original article on People