Anyone who knows me knows that I love anything involving sharks, and I love a good action flick from time to time. I was super excited when The Meg came out in 2018. So, of course, I was going to watch The Meg 2: The Trench. Well, I have, and now I have some thoughts.
Warning spoilers ahead.
The Meg 2 picks up years after the original events and sees a research team encounter multiple threats while exploring the ocean’s depths, including a malevolent mining operation, multiple megs, “the Kracken,” dinosaurs, and a bunch of bad guys.
A few of the original cast members return to reprise their roles, including Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Page Kenedy, and young actress Shuya Sophia Cai. Unfortunately, their director let them down.
I’m not even going to attack how the giant beasts were portrayed. Let’s go ahead and chalk them up to suspension of disbelief.
There are many moments when things make absolutely zero sense. Here’s an example: The crew finds themselves walking along the bottom of the trench. There’s no way in hell they would have survived. Most divers that go below only 427 feet die. The Mariana Trench is 35,994 feet deep. Even in a suit, it wouldn’t be possible. Sure, it’s not surprising that a movie like this gets creative, but come on. There have to be some halfway believable scenes.
In the opening, we are introduced to dinosaurs. Later, we see the same ones in the trench before they come on land in the final half. So, we are expected to accept that these critters have been trapped in the trench for millions of years but retain their ability to walk on land and breathe air? No. Just no. As a dinosaur lover and someone over the age of ten, I found this a bit insulting.
The whole thing felt juvenile. Who was it made for? Teens or adults? I don’t think they know. It is just bad. It came across as a 12-year-old wrote it. But a 12-year-old didn’t write it; it was written by grown-ass adults, Dean Georgaris, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber. It just oozes laziness. For a movie with a budget of $129 million, they couldn’t have put more effort into making a movie with a quality story?
I wasn’t alone in finding myself bored. Even the movie’s star, Jason Statham, looked bored out of his mind in the movie that director Ben Wheatley clearly phoned in.
The movie’s only redeeming quality was its special effects. While it was ridiculous, at least the action scenes look good, well, except for the underwater sequences in the trench, which are lackluster.
Meg 2 is a prime example of studios making movies only caring about profit. The movie relied on its name and the reputation of its stars, choosing to put profit over quality. What is with studios making big-budget movies that they know are going to suck? After being let down time and time again, it’s enough to make you lose faith in studios and leave you wanting to avoid blockbusters altogether.
Yes, I expected a certain level of cheese with The Meg 2: The Trench, but suspension of disbelief only goes so far. That’s $20 and two hours I’ll never get back. The Meg 2: The Trench, which lacks bite, is now out on Digital and On Demand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
