HOLLYWOOD—“The Meg” was one of the most entertaining and underrated flicks of 2018. It was one of those great B movies that was so silly, so ridiculous you found yourself more entrenched into the narrative than you expected. Think “Jaws” but on steroids and crack combined. The success of that flick has spawned an even sillier sequel, “The Meg 2: The Trench.” There are indeed some differences between the first flick and this one.
The first movie kicked off with an amazing opening, this sequel does the same, but then it drags a bit and that is not entertaining for the spectator. Then the story transitions to the exploration of The Trench and a deep portion of the ocean where the Megaladoon (an enormous sized shark) had been found. Back fighting those sharks and some other highly evolved animals is Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor. Look, what can I say, Statham eats up the role and he’s this generation’s newest action star and this is his franchise.
Jonas is not just battling sharks in ways that make you say, “Ok, that could never transpire in real life, but he’s helping to raise Meiyang (Shuya Sophia Cai), the daughter of Suyin Zhang. Jonas has help with Meiyang’s uncle Jiuming (Wu Jing), who also plays a big role in the action.
I had a major issue with the filming of the underwater scenes. It was so dark, I could see what was taking place and it frustrated me to the core. All I could pinpoint was that some wicked creatures, like a mix of a lizard and an alligator were attacking our protagonists while under water in these nifty suits. While doing that exploration there is a crack in Earth’s surface unleashing more mega sized sharks, and a few other water creatures that make their big appearance during the climax of the movie.
Rather the filmmaker purposely filmed those sequences in utter darkness for effect or not, they don’t work because if you don’t understand what is unfolding it becomes difficult to follow the narrative. Once the first hour of the movie ends, things really become exciting as the action, the witty dialogue, the special effects and outlandish and I mean OUTLANDISH mayhem keeps you glued to the screen until the final moments of the flick.
The action sequences are going to blow your mind in the best possible way, rather its utilizing a helicopter blade to take out a threat, battling a humungous Kraken with tentacles that destroy on contact or using flammable liquids to take out a horde of threats, you will be so entertained. “The Meg 2: The Trench” is so bad, it’s good, and the filmmakers totally crafted the flick to be that way. You are not supposed to take what you’re seeing as realistic, you’re supposed to laugh at the corny jokes and when you see unexpected vacationers devoured in horror fashion a smile emerges across your face.
I enjoyed watching this movie, was it better than the first? Nope, but with the way this movie ends, we should be prepared for a third installment in the near future.
