The latest offering from the tried and approved sub-genre of shark films, The Meg finds British action-hero Jason Statham leading a team of scientists as they encounter a 75-foot-long megalodon while on a rescue mission at the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
Loosely based upon Steve Alten’s 1997 book Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror and directed by John Turteltaub (National Treasure), this ‘Man VS Giant Shark’ flick hyped as an international blockbuster worthy of being heralded the modern-day Jaws is, unfortunately, anything but. Despite some impressive visual effects and an in-form Statham having fun dropping one-liners as he attempts to save the day, you may be better off sinking your teeth into something a little more exciting.
Five years after a tragic incident cost Naval Captain Jonas Taylor (Statham) his career, marriage and reputation following a mission that forced him to abandon half his crew in the unexplored Mariana Trench to what he claims was an attack by a mammoth 70-foot sea creature, redemption comes calling when his help is enlisted to rescue a team inside a submersible sunk at the bottom of the ocean. With his ex-wife on board, Jonas is forced to confront his fears and put his life on the line as a hungry pre-historic megalodon thought to be extinct for more than two million years comes lurking with intent to kill, proving he was right all along.
A Chinese-American co-production boasting a global cast that includes Australia’s own Ruby Rose, Robert Taylor and Jessica McNamee with Kiwi legend Cliff Curtis alongside The Office star Rainn Wilson and two of China’s most recognisable faces in Li Bingbing and Winston Chao, an endeavour between so many countries should amount to a good-old fashioned creature feature with enough thrills to entertain, but with a script written by the guys who brought us the terrible Battleship and the worst of the Tomb Raider films, it all begins to make sense.
Shot over two years ago in New Zealand after spending several years in development hell where it was originally intended to be helmed by actor/director Eli Roth, it seems evidently clear this would have been a very different, possibly improved film if the original hard R-rating had have been kept. Watered down to a more kid-friendly rating so the studio could market to a wider audience and attempt to recoup a larger profit instead of attempting to make a quality film, the disappointment keeps on coming with laughably bad performances from everyone bar Statham.
What had the potential to be a fun B-movie with some fine action utilising its unique premise, a plethora of problems and a boring set up prevent The Meg from being anything but a forgettable Shark flick so poor it has moments that make the straight-to-DVD Sharknado series look superior.
With enough Jaws references and an unintentionally hilarious narrative that perhaps the casual viewer can find some entertainment in, this film will go on to make bucket-loads of money and it’s sure to please some audiences, but as a film you’d have to spend your hard earned cash and time on, it’s neither good enough nor stimulating enough to recommend a viewing and remains a two- hour moving picture not worth diving in for.
