Jason Statham returns as rescue diver Jonas Taylor in Meg 2: The Trench, in which a research team encounters multiple threats while exploring the depths of the ocean, including a malevolent mining operation.
I WATCHED the original Meg on Netflix a few weeks ago. It works well enough as a silly action movie about a giant killer shark that asked a simple question: What if the Megalodon hadn’t gone instinct? The film could never be a critical darling like Jaws, or give us something as bombastic as Sharktopus or Piranha 3D, but it’s a refreshing balance of well-executed B-grade sci-fi action set pieces with a likeable international cast.
I was expecting Meg 2: The Trench to be a mostly mediocre follow-up, but instead I found myself completely enthralled by how bananas it is. If you’ve seen the recent Fast and Furious movies, which Jason Statham is also in, you may have a good idea of the mayhem this shark flick is going for. It’s not dumb because of lazy writing – the campiness is the point.
The film’s three acts feel distinguishably different:
- Discover why the captive Meg is acting strangely (sci-fi adventure);
- Escape the Mariana Trench (horror-thriller);
- Stop the Megs and mercenaries on Fun Island (non-stop monster action).
The Trench scenes play like a claustrophobic horror film, with the bottom of the ocean as dark and scary as exploring a distant planet. I’m sure some will find it boring and overlong, but I found its use of sound and dread highly effective.
As each act feels different, that prevents the film from feeling too repetitive, and you’re rewarded with non-stop action by the end, where every character plays a part.
Speaking of the cast, the first movie had more likeable characters, so it’s not as sad this time around when the Meg or deep ocean inevitably kills off several of them. What the sequel does better is its hilariously cartoony evil villains, whose only motivation is the money.
Sophia Cai returns as Meiying Zhang, who is now a teenager, and Taylor’s step daughter. Her mother Suyin Zhang, who was played by Li Bingbing, does not return, but her character is replaced in the story by her brother Jiuming Zhang, played by Wu Jing. Jing is a great action star, but his character is bland, and so is Cliff Curtis’ Mac, whose only personality trait is being Jonas Taylor’s friend. He does not sound excited to be in this movie.
Statham truly delivers as you would expect. It’s him, a jetski and three Megs, and you can’t help but laugh at how over-the-top the spectacular action scenes are. That should be more than enough of a reason to watch this.
Barbie and Oppenheimer are two well-received films that have rightly created a ton of discourse following their success. We needed the Barbenheimer double feature to remind us of our place in our world and why we love cinema as an art form.
But we also need a film like Meg 2 where we can grab our popcorn, sit down with friends or a date, and just be entertained at the stupid spectacle on screen.
Meg 2: The Trench is rated M for sustained threat and action violence, is now screening at Sale Cinemas.
