The Meg - A RMNT Review

The Meg is the latest action film from Warner Bros., with Jon Turteltaub (known for previously directing the National Treasure films, While You Were Sleeping, and Cool Runnings) helming as director, and Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chad, and Cliff Curtis as the film's cast. Great shark films are practically a very rare breed of sub-genres in film due to the massive onslaught of badly-made ones, whether they're either Jaws ripoffs or the kind that have out of this world ideas like sharks being piloted by Nazi zombies. No joke, there really was a movie about that. But with shark films somewhat becoming a popular guilty pleasure film category in recent years, mostly due to the Sharknado film series, which I'll never understand why, will we ever at least get a very decent shark film that's somewhat entertaining without it either being too stupid or being taken too seriously? The last shark-centered film I saw, The Shallows from 2016, was well done for its suspenseful premise, direction, Blake Lively's leading performance, plus a decent-looking CG shark, making it the second best shark film I've seen, with Jaws remaining as the superior. But with The Meg, I knew from the get-go that it wasn't going to be a masterpiece, but it was sure to be worth the price of admission, especially when you got British action star Jason Statham taking on a 75-foot Megalodon!!

The plot centers on an underwater research operation, funded by a billionaire, to learn more of the deeper section of the Marianas trench, but during a mission that they're supervising, a situation arrises in the form of a Megalodon, a prehistoric shark that's supposed to have been extinct for millions of years, and its up to them and Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) to put an end to its carnivorous rampage! Yes, the story is shark-themed with some elements taken from Jaws, but what makes the film stand out is that it knows that it's a B-movie! Without it trying to be a masterpiece or going the lazy route, it embraces its identity by simply being very entertaining in a good, dumb way! Unlike most shark films that have funny moments that awkwardly fail, the humor in this movie hits all in the right spots, mostly due to the camaraderie between Jonas and the research team in the form of one-liners, exchange of friendly insults, and plenty of tongue in cheek moments. Then of course, there's the matter of the film's tone since it's rated PG-13, meaning that there won't be as much gore as in other shark films, but the intensity of the action still shows. For another shark-centric plot, this one's pretty damn passable in being what it is!

Usually, characters in these types of films are one-dimensional archetypes, but thanks to the cast's performances and their group dynamic, they end up making a much bigger impression than you'd expect. Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor is the typical badass as like in most of his films, but at least we're given some bit of backstory related to a rescue mission that got too complicated and time was running out. Anyways, then there's also the "Mana One" research team, who are all likable characters with, as I mentioned earlier, a great group dynamic, and because of that, you can't help but have a great time with them, and hell, you kinda wish for them to appear in a sequel or two. As for the performances, Statham's trademark charisma gives his character an edge, while the rest of the cast all do good jobs with what they're given, and mind you, these are no amateurs. Sure, a couple of them get killed off, but that's pretty much expected in a film like this. If there's one thing about the film that I can best describe as a highlight, it's definitely the cast!

I gotta say, for a B-movie, it's a pretty impressive-looking one, probably due to the film's budget of $150 million! The set of the Mana One underwater research facility is by far one of the highlights as it shows how advanced and well-equipped the place looks, from the computers, the tools, and the vehicles are well-designed too! But with all that money, how does the titular shark look? Actually, it's not bad! Sure, its CG, but its a pretty scary-looking one, but you can still tell that its CG, but again, that's all part of the B-movie charm! As for the action, it's nicely-shot, both in underwater scenes and above the surface, and it's damn engaging and fun as well!

Upon seeing The Meg, I got exactly my money's worth: an entertaining B movie centered on a giant prehistoric shark, all thanks to the likable cast of characters, plenty of humorous moments, engaging fun action, and surprisingly impressive production, all despite the plot being as simple as it can get! If you want to go see a dumb, fun movie where a kickass actor takes on a giant shark, then look no further!

Story: 3 / 5

Characters: 3.5 / 5

Production: 4 / 5

Final rating: 3.5 / 5