Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
The Meg
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
By Lucas Allen
It’s no surprise that we have another shark movie on the big screen living under the shadow of its grand descendant, “Jaws.” Based on another book with a man vs. beast plot, “The Meg” goes for the big guns, and is a big-budget, major studio-produced version of one of those DTV-movies on the Syfy network.
Forget “Sharknado,” because you’re going to think twice about swimming in the ocean after seeing this film. Several miles off the coast of Shanghai, there’s an advanced underwater marine lab, Mana One, that is financed by hi-tech billionaire Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson).
Its project leader Zhang (Winston Chao) oversees a team led by his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing) to explore the deepest depths of the Pacific. But when a deep dive turns deadly, the team calls upon veteran diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), despite the fact he was fired for an incident five years earlier.
Upon taking on the rescue, he discovers the one thing responsible for all the trouble — a 30-foot prehistoric shark, the Megalodon, has been unleashed from the deep and is very hungry. Although Taylor wants the thing killed, the team wants to get closer to it and examine it before it causes any more deaths. But tagging an oversized sea monster proved easier said than done when it attacked them at every turn.
Undaunted, our heroes will have to rely on both courage and ingenuity to hunt and kill the shark. But they’ll have to hurry, because nearby Shanghai beachgoers are about to become its dinner.
Under the direction of National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub, the movie is like one of those B-grade sci-fi films of the 1950s that crashed into a 1980s action film produced by Cannon Films. The result is a dumb, but fun and supremely entertaining film that understands what it wants out of its audience.
Sit back, turn off your brain, and enjoy the carnage. Obviously it won’t take the reins among the best shark movies, with “Jaws” remaining the king of that genre, but its self-awareness will leave a smile on your face. For the most part, the effects look pretty good, with the giant shark terrifying up close. This movie did it right by not showing it until the right moment, leaving us more in suspense before the real thrills begin. Surprisingly, there’s a level of drama involving the characters caused by the shark’s mayhem that gives you time to breathe. There’s also some good humor, adding some levity that mostly doesn’t feel awkward. All in all, the pacing between scenes throughout this two hour film feels just about right.
Another thing that makes the movie work is its very game cast adding a likable presence to the proceedings. Statham pretty much leads the charge in a classic tough-guy role with the talents for deep diving. He pretty much fits the description of someone crazy enough to take on a giant prehistoric shark. The other cast members are also crazy enough to take on a gigantic beast, but they’re still believable enough that you want to join up on the hunt. Usually in the dog days of summer, it’s tough to find anything new and interesting to check out from what we’ve seen already. But “The Meg” should satisfy those looking for late-summer fun no matter how preposterous the plot is. Forget the dinosaurs in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” because this is the real monstrous force of the summer.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG-13 (for action/peril, bloody images, and some language)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)
