The Meg

Starring: Jason Statham, Binbing Li, Rainn Wilson, Cliff Curtis, Winston Chao, Shuya Shophia Cai, Ruby Rose, Page Kennedy, Robert Taylor, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Jessica McNamee, Masi Oka
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Horror, Science Fiction
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A small group of scientists and divers must fight for their lives when they stumble upon a megalodon.

Review:

Tim: Even though the trailers were a bit underwhelming, I really wanted to like The Meg. The film has been long in development and features a terrific twist on the shark movie concept. I genuinely enjoy shark movies, so having a 70-foot megalodon just ratchets that up another level of excitement. Unfortunately, a number of factors prevent this movie from getting anywhere close to its full potential. It's a decent film, sure. There's obviously entertainment to be had in a 70-foot prehistoric shark causing havoc among people. However, this film is never as good as it needed to be. I left the movie mildly entertained and significantly disappointed.

Jon Turteltaub has made some movies that I've really loved, although most of those were earlier in his career. This film never really comes together. It feels too absurd, too illogical. There's just a series of plot holes from beginning to end. It is too easy for anyone who's paying attention to poke holes in the plot. Now obviously for a film like this, a good deal of disbelief needs to be suspended. Even allocating for that, however, there were too many things here that just didn't make sense. Whether that's the illogical explanation for how the megalodon escaped its habitat (and a later twist makes this even more absurd) or whether it's a billionaire falling off a boat and no one noticing- so many things in this film do not hold up to any kind of scrutiny. I don't even want to get into the little dog paddling, which was pointless and dumb (and don't try to explain how sharks go after the bigger prey, this scene was a waste of time). This movie is obviously going to push the boundaries of what we know is possible, but it felt like there was little regard for making this movie the tiniest bit believable. They play hard and fast with science and facts and the whole movie suffers as a result.

I was surprised that the visual effects weren't better. Sure, they have to be up to a certain level to depict an enormous shark. The meg looked believable enough. However, I don't think I was ever truly impressed or in awe of this creature. I never shuddered as I thought about a megalodon- it just seemed like a big shark. The distinction here might be minor, but it's important. The meg was never quite as amazing as it needed to be.

The cast was hard to evaluate. It's a large, diverse cast, which I truly appreciated. I suppose Jason Statham was good in the lead role. He looked the part. I didn't fully believe his performance, but he adds a lot more than he detracts. I also thought Bingbing Li did a good job. Watching her by herself, I was quite impressed with her performance. However, I didn't buy the chemistry between Statham and Li. I'm not exactly sure how to explain. The script gives them a lot of opportunities to banter and they both put in a lot of effort, but I never felt it. The movie would have been better with more chemistry between these two. I really like Rainn Wilson, but his performance bothered me here. He felt too over-the-top and I never for a minute believed his character. He was supposed to be some comedic relief but it just came across as forced. Cliff Curtis was a great addition. He's a solid actor and added to the movie, although it felt like his character needed a bit more to do. Shuya Sophia Cai was terrific for such a young actress. I usually dislike Ruby Rose, but I found her performance tolerable here. She might be getting slightly better as an actress. Page Kennedy was fine, but he was never as funny as he thought he was. I loved seeing Masi Oka here. Winston Chao was a nice addition. So, as a whole, it's hard to know what to think as different actors were all over the place. I suppose the cast was fine in the end, but the movie needed stronger performances out of many of them.

Now, there were some solid sequences. Anytime you have people diving to deep depths in the ocean, that's pretty exciting. I enjoyed how the first half of the movie was really a rescue operation. I didn't buy the science that we were given, but it was fairly exciting. The way the megalodon was introduced was fairly solid. The climax felt a little flat to me. Sure, there were a few intense moments, but it all felt predictable to me. The finale wasn't as powerful as it needed to be. The predictability of the script is certainly an issue. There's a big "twist" at one point that is incredibly obvious.

I really wish I could have loved The Meg. I was hoping it would be another classic like Jaws or at least undeniably entertaining like Deep Blue Sea. Instead, it's a film that never feels fully polished. There might be some truly entertaining moments, but the movie as a whole just feels underwhelming. It doesn't feel like we got anyone's best- from Turteltaub to the cast to the writers. The film did well at the box office so we'll likely get a sequel. I'll watch it, but it's hard not to be a bit bummed at where this potential franchise started.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, The Shallows, 47 Meters Down