Summary:
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?
Review:
Plot- 4/5:
Jason Statham vs a Megalodon. What more needs to be said? I suppose a little. I love a good redemption story, and it works extremely well in this particular setting. I enjoyed the marine biology components of the plot, and the goals the crew were working towards truly made you want to cheer for them. There was also a lot to keep you on your toes. I knocked a point only because most of the plans they made to deal with the giant threat were absolutely ludicrous and doomed to failure. But I suppose if everything went off without a hitch, the movie would’ve been far less exciting.
Acting- 4/5:
I’m not convinced any of the actors in The Meg will be winning any awards for their performances, but I have no complaints about the acting. Statham was his normal self, and Rainn Wilson was hilarious as the jerk-off billionaire funding the expedition. Child actress Shuya Sophia Cai did an awesome job as the young Meiying. The rest of the supporting cast fulfilled their duties, and I was very satisfied.
Special Effects- 4/5:
With movies like these you know that the real star is going to be the special effects. Bringing the prehistoric Megalodon back to life is no small task, but it was adequately done here. I particular enjoyed the underwater scenes showing various kinds of aquatic life. There were times where the CGI was very obvious, but again, with films like this it is par for the course. Although there was plenty of carnage, the gore was at a minimum. This is unfortunate, especially since we know that originally the movie had been a lot gorier, but most of those scenes were edited for the final cut.
Atmosphere- 4/5:
While not exactly scary (funny, at this point in writing this review I wonder if this is even suitable for the site. Oh well, I’ve written too much at this point to go back now. It’s in Ray’s hands), the film was exciting and did do a lot to keep you guessing. It was fun not being quite sure which characters were the next to perish, and the unpredictable nature of the creature added to that excitement.
Conclusion- 4/5:
After reading some not so great reviews, I ended up enjoying The Meg a lot more than I thought I would. I went into it expecting less Jaws and more Piranha 3D, and ultimately I wasn’t disappointed. I don’t think it’ll end up cracking anyone’s top 10 favorite movies anytime soon, but it was surely an entertaining thrill-fest that I will watch again. I hope the home video release includes the ultra-gory version of the film, but only time will tell. At the end of the day, its Jason Statham vs a colossal man-eating shark. How bad could it be?
