The Meg

Year : 2018

Genre : Action / Sci Fi / Thriller 

I could count the list of Summer blockbusters this year on one hand. It's been an incredibly quiet one really, and with the exception of Infinity War and MI Fallout, audiences haven't really been treated to much in terms of cinematic spectacle. It stands to reason that given this drought, it wouldn't take much to satisfy an audience that is hungry for leave your brain at home fodder, and this is kind of why 'The Meg' has luckily landed on its feet. Current opening weekend box office takings stand at $32 million, hands down beating  Dwane Johnson's 'Skyscraper' which was released only a few weeks ago, had a similar target audience, and earned comparatively less. 

The plot, as it is, follows a group of scientists who encounter a prehistoric 25 metre long Megalodon shark beneath what was previously considered the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana trench. Disaster ensues, and as luck would have it, Jason Statham is the only man in the whole of the Far East capable of rescuing their submarine. What follows is a schlocky, tongue firmly in cheek B-movie that knows full well it is a B-movie, and pretends to be nothing else more than that.

It is startling obvious from the outset that Chinese media company Gravity pictures, having invested heavily in the films production, engineered 'The Meg' towards an Asian audience. While there's an argument to be had that the film is simply Speilberg's 'Jaws' on steroids, it's huge monster from the bottom of the sea roots lend themselves far more to Japanese pop culture Gojira aka ‘Godzilla’ than anything that tried to gobble up Richard Dreyfuss in the mid 70's. It is no coincidence that Jason Statham was chosen for the male lead, as bald men are assumed to have high testosterone and be alpha male types in Asian culture. Themes that are important in Asian culture are evident throughout. High achievement and appeasing one's parents play a part in one of the protagonist’s character arcs, and such themes wouldn't even see the light of day in a completely American funded production. There is even a character that has a hairstyle lifted straight out of the Anime series ‘Gundam Wing’.

None of these observations are criticisms, and they make for a refreshing change having not seen much original Asian cinema.  

Driving home following our Sunday afternoon screening of this film, there were a couple of things I felt unhappy with. Statham does his best with what is essentially a very weak script, but the Chinese actors were incredibly wooden, and made no effort whatsoever to raise their game. Whether this is intentional given the nature of the film, or whether they simply can’t deliver performances in anything other than their mother tongue is unclear. I am inclined to think however, it is the latter.

Secondly, and I know this is a bit unfair, but some of the set pieces really do require the audience to suspend disbelief.  Yes, I get that this film isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, but throughout the film’s final act, I sat there thinking that Director John Turteltaub had taken things from the moderately believable, to the ridiculous, to the utterly utterly stupid. If you go into it expecting Jaws with better CGI, you will leave disappointed.

Niggles aside, this is perfectly watchable, and the CGI is particularly impressive too, noticeably better than 2016's 'The Shallows', where although the Spielbergian suspense was there, the CGI let the film down badly. 

Any film where Statham has the chance to punch things is a winner in my book, and 'The Meg' is no exception to the rule.

No Sharknado, but no Jaws either. Three stars.