A deep sea submersible pilot revisits his past fears in the Mariana Trench, and accidentally unleashes the seventy foot ancestor of the Great White Shark believed to be extinct.
The Meg opens wide and takes a bite out of the summer season. A shark film with an extensive budget whilst still incorporating B-movie tropes to heighten its ludicrousness. Trust me, it's stupid, yet simultaneously disposable fun. Unfortunately, it frequently takes itself too seriously and holds back on its absurdity to be deemed as a success. A research team explore the depths of the ocean where they soon discover a giant creature roaming the oceanic floor. "It's a megalodon" exclaims Statham in his gruff voice, who really was the only viable individual to make that line feel epic. He, and the rest of the cast, are clearly enjoying themselves as they battle against the gargantuan fish before it reaches civilisation. Both Bingbing and Statham have waves of personality that allow them to become investible, it's a shame that the rest of the crew were one-dimensional expendables. The screenplay forcibly injected banter and humour in an attempt to come across as self-aware, but ultimately felt drier than a beached whale. It worked for certain actors, particularly Statham, Bingbing and Cai, yet unsuccessful for Wilson and Kennedy. A tsunami of clichés, intellectual characters performing stupid actions and lucky escapes littered the plot. But that's when the film works. When it knows how absurd the premise is and fully embellishes in its B-movie tropes, in particular the third act. I was smiling, face-palming and eye-rolling as we witness a cute fluffy dog paddling away from the incoming jaws of death. Had that been maintained throughout, this would've been genius. Alas, it left me wanting more, lacking in gore and deaths. The technical aspects were decent, especially the visual effects. The ocean floor looked like it's own unique ecosystem, and the titular beast was colossal. The size ratios were depicted excellently. It's a shame that 'The Meg' was on a leash. Had that restraint been removed, we may have been in for a fishy treat. Fortunately Statham dives in to save this film from total disrepair as he confidently assures us that "it's a megalodon". Yeah, I want that as my ringtone.
