THE MEG – Review

A scene from Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Gravity Pictures’ science fiction action thriller “THE MEG,” a Gravity Pictures release for China, and a Warner Bros. Pictures release throughout the rest of the world. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

For some, summer is not complete without a shark movie or a dinosaur one. THE MEG is both in a way, about a giant prehistoric shark, the megadon, thought to be extinct which has somehow survived hidden from view but now released to terrorize all in the sea. This scare thriller also has a bonus for fans of THE TRANSPORTER, star Jason Statham as a tough guy who specializes in deep-sea rescues, kind of a Transporter under the waves. Statham makes this film a bit of a JAWS meets TRANSPORTER mash-up.

Ever since JAWS, audiences have craved shark movies. While JURASSIC PARK created a similar itch for dinosaur movies (although, actually, those movies go back to the 1914 animated GERTIE THE DINOSAUR), THE MEG is basically a shark movie. But unlike the original JAWS, where the shark just comes looking for us, we unleash this gigantic prehistoric shark on ourselves, unintentionally of course.

THE MEG is directed by Jon Turtletaub, who also helmed NATIONAL TREASURE. The premise of how this prehistoric shark survived is seriously preposterous, so it is best not to think about it and just go with it. Basically, a team of deep-sea explorers, funded by an eccentric billionaire Morris (Rainn Wilson), are probing the depths of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, the deepest place on earth. The research team is led by a Chinese marine biologist Dr. Minway Zhang (Winston Chao) and his scientist daughter Suyin (Chinese actress Li Bingbing), who has also brought along her young, very cute daughter Meiying (Sophia Cai). The team is using specialized submersibles to explore the lowest parts of the Mariana Trench when something goes very wrong. It appears there is something very big down there.

With the submersible damaged and their team trapped, Dr. Zhang and station chief Mac (Cliff Curtis) call on Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), the only man with the expertise to save them. The problem is that Jonas has quit the rescue business, after a mission where he couldn’t get everyone out, also in the same spot. But he also saw something down there, and everyone thinks he’s crazy. But his ex-wife Lori (Jessica McNamee) is piloting the submersible, so Jonas agrees to attempt the rescue.

THE MEG is short for megadon, a 75-foot-long extinct shark was the largest creature that ever lived, land or sea. The megadon makes for a fearsome movie monster, as the gigantic shark was big enough to eat whales for breakfast – something the movie demonstrates for us. You have probably seen pictures of a man standing inside the fossil jaws of a megadon but in case you haven’t, THE MEG obliges with a couple of photos. Swimmer are mere appetizers for the megadon in this film, which is glad to devour whole boats or beaches full of vacationers.

THE MEG is fair popcorn entertainment, a summertime staple likely to scratch the itch for shark movie fans. There are plenty of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, even if you know they are coming, and the scares are seasoned with a little humor, but not as much as you would expected if you saw the movie trailer. The battle against the megadon brings in several boats, and even helicopters, but the beast chomps on. The film has a couple of false endings, but since it is not far enough into the film, the audience knows we are not done yet. The film seems more aimed at the Chinese/Asian audience than the American one, with several Asians in the cast and the inevitable beach scene at a Chinese seaside tourist spot.

The film has some entertaining visual aspects. The shark attack sequences certainly hit the action-movie mark, and the elaborate mid-ocean station from which the researchers operate has a cool spaceship-like look. The clear polycarbonite shark cage has a cool factor too, as do the submersibles and other tech.

The major flaws of this flick are two-fold. The false endings are too early in the film to be convincing, even if we may not know exactly what its coming. The other flaw is a lack of character-development. Despite a fairly decent cast, the characters all remain two-dimensional. A warm, comic interplay between Statham and the little girl adds a little charm, and there is a touch of romance and the father-daughter thing, but there is just not enough there of any of the characters beyond the stereotypical.

If your summer is not complete without a shark movie, or if you can’t get enough Jason Statham, THE MEG is for you. For other movie-goers looking for summer doldrums thrills, THE MEG is more “meh” than mega-hit.

RATING: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars