The Meg (2018)
Film Review
By the Geezer of Oz
Jonas Taylor is fresh off a disastrous underwater rescue mission. In it, while rescuing quite a few people, he tragically lost two of his best friends. He claims that a large entity he believes to be a giant shark caused the whole incident, but is dismissed as crazy and is blamed for the death of his friends. While drowning his sorrows in large quantities of alcohol consumption on an island paradise in Thailand, he is approached and implored to take the lead on one more rescue mission, this time involving his ex-wife and two of her colleagues. Jonas relents and heads off to rescue the stranded trio and battle old demons.
I was really looking forward to The Meg. I thought that maybe, just maybe, this film could be more Jaws (1975) than Sharknado (2013), something to follow on from The Shallows (2016) and remove the rancid aftertaste that was Deep Blue Sea 2 (2018) and into a new era where Shark Horror can reclaim its place somewhere near the top of the horror food chain. But, unfortunately, wishes are for birthday cakes and while not completely terrible, this film does not even come close the heights of Jaws, or even Orca (1977) and not as good as The Shallows. Granted, it is miles ahead of Deep Blue Sea 2 and better than Sharknado, but that shouldn’t be any film’s claim to fame.
Perhaps I am being a tad harsh on this film. After all, if you leave your brain at the door it is mildly entertaining, although it is terribly cliché and the action is patchy. The storyline is, in some spots, preposterous and somewhat disjointed, but viewers seeking some mindless entertainment should get what they bargained for. Director Jon Turtletaub (Cool Runnings, While You Were Sleeping, National Treasure, Last Vegas) is an odd choice in my opinion. He still does a fair job here, but it seems like he phones it in somewhat, as does most of the cast.
Jason Statham (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, The Transporter, The Expendables, Fast & Furious 6,7,8) seems in his element during the action scenes, but somewhat uncomfortable during the dramatic and “romantic” scenes as the aforementioned Jonas. Binbing Li (1911, Resident Evil: Retribution, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Guardians of the Tomb) does a good enough job, though she seems grossly underutilized yet again in an American production. Rainn Wilson (Juno, The Rocker, Super, Cooties, TV’s The Office) is his usual entertaining self as the egomaniacal billionaire, Morris. Cliff Curtis (Once Were Warriors, Deep Rising, Blow, Sunshine, TV’s Fear The Walking Dead) seems strangely out of place as the kind of meaningless character, Mac. Ruby Rose (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, XxX: Return of Xander Cage, John Wick: Part 2) is yet again likeable but underused, as Jaxx. Robert Taylor (The Matrix, The Hard Word, Coffin Rock, Focus, TV’s Longmire) does the standard unlikeable-character-come-
Somehow, this film still ends up being somewhat entertaining if you send your brain on holiday for a tad over two hours and just go with the flow. It seems self-aware enough, for us as viewers, to laugh with it rather than at it. Mixed with the fact that it seems no one is really trying too hard, it ends up being a somewhat confusing experience.
Some mindless fun, but nothing more. 5/10.
