As the saying goes, “Another year, another Shark Week.” Between July 28th and August 4th, we at Full Circle have decided to celebrate by digging our teeth into a variety of shark movies. For this review, let us go back to last year when the most massive predator to ever exist came to the big screen, 2018’s The Meg.
Humans have only discovered 25% of the ocean. Making it one of the most uncharted territories on the planet. As far as we know, the Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth, or is it? What if what we think is the ground level of the trench is a cloud? A cloud covering what would be a whole new world. Two films referenced this last year, one of them was Aquaman, the other was The Meg.
The Meg‘s story focuses on Jonas Taylor, a diver who saves people trapped in the ocean. The story also focuses on the researchers of Mana One. The most expensive ocean research facility on the planet Earth. Run by the greatest Marine biologist on the planet, Dr. Zhang, Winston Chao. They send a group of researchers down to the Mariana Trench. The group gets through the trench and makes a terrifying discovery. They get attacked and must be rescued, this unleashes the greatest predator that has ever existed from one of the deepest places on Earth, into a world filled with snacks.
The Meg is a novel that was written by Steve Alten. In a sense, it could be seen as a more modern lesser Jaws. We could say, Jaws without the magic of Steven Spielberg. This film is the embodiment of what horror/sci-fi films have become. In no way are these films horrifying anymore, but they are every bit action-packed. What else would you expect from a film starring Statham? The action parts of this film are the best part, aside from a few landing jokes and a very corny romantic subplot. The supporting cast that features Bingbing Li, Ruby Rose, Rainn Wilson, Winston Chao, and a great child actor in Shuya Sophia Cai does a great job helping Statham carry the film
The script from screenwriter Dean Georgaris and Jon/Erich Hoeber gives you more shark than you can handle. The film takes a while to get going, but once The Meg appears it instantly steals the spotlight, which is a good thing because this film has some terrible dialogue. The Meg is the type of film that you watch purely for entertainment. There is nothing truly deep about this film in any context. The underlying message is one that has been heard and ignored for years, “Mother Nature is the most deadly force on Earth.” Director Jon Turteltaub did everything he could do with this film. He gives The Meg an attitude and a persona of an ocean God.
Again, The Meg is the star of this film. Unlike Jaws, once you see it, you see it consistently afterward. The CGI shark is the only terrifying thing about the film. It’s a giant shark that kills any and everything in its path. The balance of nature is very important and this film shows you why. Humans always seek to explore, but sometimes what we discover will destroy us and everything we know.
I enjoyed this film, especially upon my second viewing. It’s got everything you could ever ask for in a shark film that stars Jason Statham. Action, explosions, death, and more action, explosions, and death. Yes, there is a Shark Week reference that gives it a boost. All in all, if you want a shark film that focuses on the shark, watch The Meg.
Rating: 6 Megladons/10 Megladons
The Meg stars Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Riann Wilson, and Ruby Rose.
