The Meg Film Review – An Underwater Slugfest

The Meg never sufficiently explores the intention behind the underwater research facility “Mana One” at the heart of the latest Jason Statham movie. Even if you were to ignore its other flaws, the fact that the viewers get to see way too much of the monstrous creature far too soon makes for a considerably less thrilling viewing experience.

The Meg Film Review

Funded by an eccentric billionaire, Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson) and with a crew that is as bland as they come, the audience will find the shots of the deep with the shark far more engaging. Although as the listless humans keep showing up ever so often, one wonders how an undertaking as extensive as this could even take off with them at its helm. Some of the characters are so poorly scripted that you don’t feel sorry as the sea creature chomps at them later in the movie.

Thought to be extinct, the Megalodon is, in fact, lurking in the abyss of the ocean. When the humans intrude its space, this ferocious predator takes them to task by waging a deadly attack. By portraying the shark responsible for the loss of human lives in the dark underworld, The Meg shows the latter seeking revenge by going after the humongous creature. All of this makes the shark look like a villain, when in fact it is the humans who are invading its territory.

Barring some good work by Jason Statham, who plays Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver, nearly all the others are woefully short of measuring up to the daunting task that they face. Although a lively score by Harry Gregson-Williams helps elevate the otherwise underwhelming action, a floundering script keeps pulling it down. A little girl used as a conduit to drive forward the emotional side of the story doesn’t help either.

Some scenes involving the shark are actually rather niftily orchestrated and had they been part of another movie, they might have got their spot in the limelight. As it is, The Meg leaves you feeling cold realizing that you had to make do with a movie that could have been much better. Not going all out for a B-movie thrill ride and lacking depth for it to be an intense watch, The Meg languishes aimlessly.

In the end, you cannot help but feel that just as the underwater expedition is doomed right from the start, the movie itself runs thin on credible ideas to propel its story forwards and thus risks ending up in the obscurity like the many countless films that in spite of having potential come up way short. All of this adds up to the woes of watching a cold and terrifying abyss without really being terrified.

The Meg film review rates The Meg (2 / 5)

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