Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  2 / 10

  Corny killer shark movies can be a lot of fun (see “Sharknado” and “Deep Blue Sea”), but “The Meg 2” is a needless sequel that’s truly terrible. I don’t even think this crummy summertime catastrophe could have provided a reasonable amount of campy fun even if it tried. By playing the majority of the story with all seriousness and stretching the run time with a tedious and sluggish exposition, it feels far too late when the action the crowd has been waiting for finally happens.
  
  When several members of an undersea research team (Jason Statham, Jing Wu, Melissanthi Mahut, Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai, and Page Kennedy) take an exploratory dive into the ocean’s deepest trench, they uncover a mysterious mining operation that some very powerful people don’t want exposed. This leads to a battle for survival against the pirates of the ocean’s resources as well as deep sea apex predators. This yawn-inducing story culminates in a massive sea creatures vs. humans standoff at a resort in the Philippines, but the action happens far too late.
  
  There’s nothing inventive about the screenplay, from the customary action/thriller cliches to the clunky dialogue. The majority of the story features characters loudly proclaiming that “this is a bad idea,” then reminding everyone that they “told you it was a bad idea.” The performances from the supporting cast are laughably bad, but at least Statham’s overall likeability as a leading man keeps things afloat (just barely).
  
  The action sequences are poorly directed and edited, and they look like something filmed with a brown and orange filter and stuck inside a blender. It’s actually impossible to tell what is going on during what’s supposed to be one of the most exciting parts of the movie. The film looks a little better once everyone gets back to the surface, but the CGI creatures look amateurish and aren’t at all frightening.
  
  The final attack by mega-sharks, dino dogs, and a giant octopus is what most audiences who shelled out money for a ticket are waiting for, and it’s admittedly pretty cool. But no amount of jet ski surfing, helicopter fights, and poison-tipped explosives can save this lame disaster.
  
  By: Louisa Moore /Screen Zealots

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