Warner Bros. Pictures
Back in July of 1999, Warner Brothers released what could have been an utterly ridiculous, Jaws inspired shark movie Deep Blue Sea that might have made a few bucks during the summer season and disappeared quickly. But … that movie has a moment that became legendary and propelled the film to cult status (it didn’t even spawn a sequel until this year and that was a straight to video effort). And now the same studio is going back into the deep blue sea with a new shark movie, The Meg, a long gestating project based on the 1997 novel ‘Meg’. (Disney had originally planned to make the movie after the novel was released, but years of development led to nothing.)
The Meg is centered around an oceanographic facility studying the Mariana Trench, believed to be the deepest point on earth. Their research, however, has lead them to believe that what appears to be the bottom of the ocean is in fact a layer of very cold liquid protecting an even deeper area below. A team is sent to investigate, they enter the cold layer and find their theory is correct — the Trench is deeper and the water below is very warm. But something strikes the submersible, making it impossible to return to the surface and there is only one man who can help, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham). As we saw in the film’s prologue, Taylor was tasked with a similar deep sea rescue of a nuclear submarine five years earlier but something was crashing into the sub, forcing him to leave two men behind, detaching his own rescue vehicle with the other survivors right before the sub exploded. Taylor has been haunted by that decision and has put his rescuing days behind him.
But when he learns his ex-wife is one of the three trapped in the Trench, he reluctantly agrees to help … and then he finds out one of the people he rescued, a doctor who had made the determination that Taylor had a mental breakdown that caused him to leave his team members to die, is also part of the oceanographic team and he’s still convinced that Taylor is unfit for duty. But as Taylor gets to the submersible and begins the rescue, something again smashes into the vehicles making the rescue more dangerous. One of the team, Toshi (Masi Oka), knows that there is no time for him to get out so he seals the hatch and blasts the rescue vehicle away before the monster kills him. Back at the facility, Taylor is convinced the monster is a Megalodon, and evidence shows that the rescue vehicle created a path of warm water through the cold layer and now the Meg, thought extinct for more than 2 million years, is once again prowling the ocean. But is it an unstoppable killing machine?
The Meg is the perfect summer movie, much more entertaining than it has any right to be. It’s surprising that the studio decided to wait until the summer’s last gasps to release it, but with a few smaller films coming in August this may have a chance to rake in some dough before everyone gets back to work and school. Of course this isn’t one of those movies that you want to sit and dissect for scientific accuracy, you just go, get your popcorn and enjoy the ride. The Meg is like a rollercoaster that will have you laughing and gasping at the same time. And maybe even shed a tear or two for those who don’t survive.
Jason Statham is a guy known for his tough action roles, so he’s perfect for the part and he gets to show a little humor as well (as he terrifically sent his own image up in the comedy Spy). Here he gets to be the action star and the romantic hero while tossing off a few one-liners. He’s just perfect in the role. The multicultural cast — which leans heavily on Chinese actors to help boost the box office in that country — all play their roles well. Yes, they are all ‘types’ but they all make the most of what their roles give them. Of all the actors, Rainn Wilson gets the most to do as the billionaire who funded the facility and has a few other facets to his character. And I just have to add that Li Bingbing is terrific, the character that most people can connect with, the real emotional core of the movie. And she’s stunningly beautiful as well. I might have a little crush on her.
Director Jon Turtletaub keeps the action moving and ratchets up the tension as things become more dire for the team from Mana One, and his beach panic scene — which despite the trailers is only a very small moment in the film — is done very well even as it has more than a few references to the Jaws beach scene of the first shark attack. The film has a nice balance of drama, action, humor and heart which should keep you on the edge of, and jumping out of, your seat. Make no mistake, this ain’t Shakespeare, it’s just a fun, summer, popcorn flick aimed at entertaining the masses and it succeeds on all levels. And if the movie is a success, there is a whole series of ‘Meg’ novels for sequel possibilities.
The Meg has a run time of 1 hour 53 minutes and is rated PG-13 for action/peril, bloody images and some language.
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