The Meg Review

PG-13: Action/peril, bloody images and some languageWarner Bros. Pictures, Gravity Pictures1 Hr and 53 MinutesDir: Jon Turteltaub, | Writers: Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, Erich HoeberCast:  Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, Cliff Curtis, Page Kennedy, Jessica McNamee, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Robert Taylor, Shuya Sophia Cai, Masi Oka, Rob Kipa-Williams, Tawanda Manyimo
Five years ago, expert sea diver and Naval Captain Jonas Taylor encountered an unknown danger in the unexplored recesses of the Mariana Trench that forced him to abort his mission and abandon half his crew. Though the tragic incident earned him a dishonorable discharge, what ultimately cost him his career, his marriage and any semblance of honor was his unsupported and incredulous claims of what caused it - an attack on his vessel by a mammoth, 70-foot sea creature, believed to be extinct for more than a million years. But when a submersible lies sunk and disabled at the bottom of the ocean - carrying his ex-wife among the team onboard - he is the one who gets the call. Whether a shot at redemption or a suicide mission, Jonas must confront his fears and risk his own life and the lives of everyone trapped below on a single question: Could the Carcharodon Megalodon - the largest marine predator that ever existed - still be alive ... and on the hunt?THE GOODEver since working with Paul Feig in “Spy”, Jason Statham has became a much better charismatic actor. “Spy” was the film that changed him and “Furious 8” was the film that solidified him. When Statham is not doing a generic action movie where he’s a paid killer or assassin, he shines. This is the first movie in a long time where Jason Statham is not a Jason Statham-type and he proves that he is more than an action hero who can only use a gun. He can hold a harpoon and still look like a badass. In “The Meg”, Statham does a great job being the captain of this cast. Not only does he have screen presence and charisma, but he has chemistry with his entire ensemble. How he interacts with his costars onscreen is natural and some of the intentional humor is well-delivered.
You’re not just thinking, “Hey, where’s the shark?” while he's onscreen because you’re invested with his character of Jonas. To my surprise, Jonas is a very well-written character in the sense that he has dimension and a bit of tragedy to him. It borrows some of the same character arcs as “Jaws” in which a failed mission traumatized him, but when the opportunity presents itself, he’s ready to go against his biggest and most formidable adversary to redeem himself for the sake of others. Statham's charisma and charm and how Jonas interacts with everyone around him helps you become more invested in the movie itself.I’m not going to lie: I found myself enjoying this more than I thought I would. It’s much more campy and fun than other shark movies I’ve seen in the past. As far as shark movies go, it’s not as great as “Jaws” or “The Shallow”, but it is definitely the third best one on the list. The last time we had a shark vs. crew movie was “Deep Blue Sea” which had one of the best Sam Jackson deaths of all time.
But other than that, it was very meh because it kept taking itself way too seriously and the VFX were… fitting for the time. For a $150 million dollar budget, “The Meg” our all of the effects to good use. The effects of the Megalodon are great for sequences involving the characters getting eaten. The Meg has a believable appearance that makes some of the kills look insane and terrifying. It’s not on the same ironic level as “Sharknado” or as outdated as “Deep Blue Sea”. Even the underwater research facility base that most of the film takes place in looks incredible.The visual effects team behind this film put their all into the production and it really pays off, especially when audiences are going:
as someone (or something) is getting ripped to shreds by this 65-foot shark.The first half of the movie is a search-and-rescue film and then organically turns into the seek-and-destroy film you’re anticipating and it works all the way through as cheesy, brainless fun. Most of that goes with a consistent, light-hearted, and silly tone. When your movie has Jason Statham swimming in a Megladon-infested ocean and he sings this song as he’s doing it, you know exactly what tone the film strikes:
Unlike recent Dwayne Johnson features such as “Skyscraper”, it was hard to get behind the film because, albeit them being brainless, the tone was way too imbalanced that it took marks against the entertainment value. When the movie turns into the seek-and-destroy shark flick, everything is kicked into high gear as it embraces its own stupidity after a while, and that I can get behind. The film gets more comical, romantic subplots are forced… erm... I mean, developed, but it still maintains the cheesy entertainment factor. It is exactly what August movies are all about and I’m here for it.THE BADIt’s a brainless shark flick. You can see some character deaths coming from a mile away, but the film lacks a thrilling edge, which is okay. Because of all these characters cracking jokes and adding levity a lot of these grisly PG-13 deaths, there is a lack of intensity to the action. You’re not as on the edge of your seat as you would expect, but you’re still enticed enough to see how in the hell this rag tag group of marine biologists and expert deep sea divers will take out this big ass shark.
While it is a two-hour feature, “The Meg” takes a while to get going. It has a strong opening, but when you’re introduced to the characters on the “Mana One” your level of patience starts to disintegrate. 15 minutes in you question where the hell the shark is because humans are annoying as hell, especially Rainn Wilson. His character is this billionaire who provided money for this facility to operate, but he’s the most incompetent person on board. They never explain how he got to be so rich or why he really created the “Mana One”, but hey, let's have him crack jokes that aren’t funny. If you’re going to make Rainn Wilson your comic relief, write something funny for him. Don’t have him do his own schtick where he’s a non-glasses-wearing Dwight.At the beginning it felt like a 13-year-old wrote this because you have characters snickering at innuendos like a teenager would. I still can’t believe I’m saying this, but it isn’t until Jason Statham appears that the film gets going.LAST STATEMENTProviding a great starring vehicle for Jason Statham, “The Meg” is everything you expect out of a shark movie: dumb, campy, cheesy, thrilling entertainment and it is a perfect August blockbuster for it.Rating: 3.5/5 | 71%uper Scene: That’s not a Megalodon. THAT’S A MEGALODON