Is The Meg good?
It’s about as good as these things get.
It’s about as good as these things get.
Meaning what, exactly?
Mostly that it feels like a movie from about fifteen years ago that someone lost in a bunker, found, and decided to release today. And not just in the sense that it features Jason Statham in a leading role and is debuting in theaters rather Redbox. It’s a throwback to the heady days of the early-2000s when big-budget movies were less self-conscious about being expensive versions of B-grade drive-in schlock and weren’t trying to either transcend OR apologize for being big, stupid distractions.
Mostly that it feels like a movie from about fifteen years ago that someone lost in a bunker, found, and decided to release today. And not just in the sense that it features Jason Statham in a leading role and is debuting in theaters rather Redbox. It’s a throwback to the heady days of the early-2000s when big-budget movies were less self-conscious about being expensive versions of B-grade drive-in schlock and weren’t trying to either transcend OR apologize for being big, stupid distractions.
What’s it about?
There’s a big shark.
There’s a big shark.
…and?
It’s significantly bigger than all of the other sharks.
It’s significantly bigger than all of the other sharks.
Can you be serious?
Okay: Part of what makes The Meg an “authentic” B-monster movie as opposed to some kind of revisionist take is that, true to the genre, there’s an almost comical amount of plot, backstory, mythology and pseudo-scientific babble stacked up in order to justifya premise that still nonetheless boils down to: “Shark… but bigger.”
Okay: Part of what makes The Meg an “authentic” B-monster movie as opposed to some kind of revisionist take is that, true to the genre, there’s an almost comical amount of plot, backstory, mythology and pseudo-scientific babble stacked up in order to justifya premise that still nonetheless boils down to: “Shark… but bigger.”
So, then the “gimmick” here used to explain the existence of a giant prehistoric shark in modernity is that a high-tech oceanic research station discovers that the bottom of the ocean isn’t actually the bottom of the ocean. It’s an illusion, and there’s another, different, secret ocean underneath where a submarine crew they send down to explore it gets trapped. The only person who can possibly rescue them is Jason Statham; here portraying the world’s greatest submarine rescue-diver who forced to retire in disgrace after being deemed “insane” for claiming that he was only able to save most of the crew of his last, most dangerous mission because the operation was interrupted by an attack from a sea monster. And also the research team not only includes the grudge-holding doctor who declared him insane in the first place and his former best friend, but his ex-wife is the captain of the trapped submarine.
And because of all that… big shark?
Pretty much. The big shark – a prehistoric “megalodon” – gets out of the hidden under-ocean into the regular ocean and because reasons the heroes have to stop it before it can attack a highly-populous beach on the coast of mainland China.
Pretty much. The big shark – a prehistoric “megalodon” – gets out of the hidden under-ocean into the regular ocean and because reasons the heroes have to stop it before it can attack a highly-populous beach on the coast of mainland China.
Who else is in this besides Statham?
Rainn Wilson as the American guy running the research-station who’s a greedy jerk. Winston Chao as the Chinese guy also running the research station who’s noble and thoughtful (the film is a co-production between Warner Bros and the Chinese state-backed film industry). Li Bingbing as the head scientist. Page Kennedy as the guy who gets scared and keeps asking if they’re really doing what they just said they’re doing. Cliff Curtis as Statham’s former partner. Robert Taylor as the skeptical doctor who doesn’t believe in sea monsters. And Batwoman star-to-be Ruby Rose as an actress someone at Warner Bros is clearly very big on because she doesn’t really have much to do but be on hand so Statham’s character can make a point of telling the audience that he think’s she’s cool and that the audience should like her.
Rainn Wilson as the American guy running the research-station who’s a greedy jerk. Winston Chao as the Chinese guy also running the research station who’s noble and thoughtful (the film is a co-production between Warner Bros and the Chinese state-backed film industry). Li Bingbing as the head scientist. Page Kennedy as the guy who gets scared and keeps asking if they’re really doing what they just said they’re doing. Cliff Curtis as Statham’s former partner. Robert Taylor as the skeptical doctor who doesn’t believe in sea monsters. And Batwoman star-to-be Ruby Rose as an actress someone at Warner Bros is clearly very big on because she doesn’t really have much to do but be on hand so Statham’s character can make a point of telling the audience that he think’s she’s cool and that the audience should like her.
Why do they call it “the meg?” Is that just what you call one of these?
It’s never really explained. Li Bingbing’s character just sort of start’s calling it that (Statham is the first one to matter of factly say “It’s a megalodon” instead of just “giant shark”) and everyone else just starts doing it after that. There’s not a lot of discussion. Of anything.
It’s never really explained. Li Bingbing’s character just sort of start’s calling it that (Statham is the first one to matter of factly say “It’s a megalodon” instead of just “giant shark”) and everyone else just starts doing it after that. There’s not a lot of discussion. Of anything.
But it’s fun?
Of course, it’s fun – it’s a giant goddamn shark being chased around by the veteran action star with the best balance between “Is this really happening” incredulity and “You can believe I’d pull this off” credibility of his generation – though I guess it could probably stand to be bloodier. It’s a PG-13 and, granted, the shark itself is large enough that the damage it’s doing isn’t exactly going to leave enough remains behind to qualify as “gore” to begin with. But a premise that’s already this silly is really crying out for Piranha 3D levels of blood and/or debauchery, and there’s not really a lot of either. We’re mainly talking chaos, explosions, waves and narrow watercraft escapes. Though I will give them credit for managing to contrive three separate scenarios where it sort-of makes narrative and physical sense for Jason Statham to decide to fight a giant shark more or less hand-to-hand.