THE MEG REVIEW
Jason Statham goes head to head with a giant shark.
This premise has the promise to be entertaining for all or go very badly wrong,
in many a sense. From the moment Statham’s ‘Jonas Taylor’ utters the phrase “It’s
a Megalodon” you realise the type of the film this is going to be. In many ways
this movie belongs in the late 80s to 90s, with this not being a sleight on the
movie. In many ways the tone of the film works in the filmmaker’s favour. 2018
seems to be having a resurgence of the over the top actin films with The Meg
joining the likes of Skyscraper and Rampage.
The Meg is the latest movie about a killer shark to come
from Hollywood though the first big budget one in many a year. Rated PG-13/12A
the film is clearly geared into being a family friendly action popcorn
blockbuster in the midst of summer and in many ways, it plays up to this. The film is directed by
Jon Turtelaub, best known for his Nic Cage led National Treasure films. Led by
Jason Statham and supported by an international cast of actors including Rainn
Wilson, Li Bingbing, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao, Cliff Curtis and Robert Taylor. Distributed
by Warner Brothers the film is an American and Chinese co production, and this
is reflected through the cast and the film’s location and setting. The Meg
takes place in the South China sea at an underwater research facility, and as
one dive goes wrong a shark is unleashed with the rest as they say history as
insanity ensues.
Being a killer shark movie but also a disaster film many of
the similar tropes are present but the execution is much more efficient than
say a Geostorm. Before the trigger moment for the movie the complicated science
of it all is essentially spoon-fed through exposition, and once the shark escapes
it enters the action territory promised in the trailers and marketing. The
characters, or at least the lead characters, are dealt with well enough. The
understanding of what kind of character Statham’s Jonas Taylor is, and there is
a moment that occurs as he is about to enter the sub that is very well done. Supported
by an international cast which is integrated the best any international cast
has been so far in a Hollywood production, looking at you Matt Damon’s The
Great Wall. The clichés of a businessman a-hole looking to make a profit is
prevalent here and it is here where I think the movie plays up to its
stereotypes too much. In that respect I got flashbacks to Jurassic World and
the similarities between D’Onofrio and Wilson’s character are eerily similar.
The father/daughter relationship between Bingbing and Chao is done efficiently
enough, at least in the first half. An incident that occurs in the latter half
of the movie feels kind of off to me.
More of less everybody who is going to buy a ticket to The
Meg is going to do so in order to see an over the top action set piece and in
that respect the movie deliver. The scope of the shark in comparison to the
humans is well known, scope actually puts a certain amount of fear into the
audience and leads to the few jump scares being well earnt. Turtelaub does a
good job directing the action which is not mindful but at the same time we do
not see the over-the-top action set pieces that Fast and Furious has been known
for. And in the 3rd act when it really decides to have fun and pay
homage to the many shark movies like Jaws is where it really excels.
The Meg is a well-done movie. It will not be in anybody’s
top 20 films come the years end but for a summer movie that one is looking to
go to just to have fun it works. The Meg shows that Statham is more than strong
enough to be the lead in a big budget actioner even if he is not the world’s
greatest actor. The biggest flaw for the movie being the minor characters being
underdeveloped with the focus mainly on Statham and Bingbing throughout, and
those two have an odd subplot that was not necessary. Furthermore, the science
of the film is an aspect that I would like to have been explored in more depth but
it felt as if halfway through it decided to commit to being an all out action
piece. The PG-13 and family targeting of the film does restrict it in many a
sense, and you can tell by Turtelaub and Statham were frustrated by the lack of
R as such a rating would have allowed them to go for more imaginative kills which
are for the most part your standard movie kills.
The Meg is an enjoyable summer ride, and it is exactly that:
a ride. Fun for the time that you are on it but nevertheless the flaws are
evident.
Comments
Post a Comment