3.0/5
Morris (Rainn Wilson), a billionaire, puts together a team of scientists and deep sea explorers to study the oceans. They come across the theory that there is another world waiting to be explored beneath the sea bed in Chinese waters. They penetrate the cloud layer (yes the science has gone for a toss here) formed some thousands of meter down and indeed find a new pocket of unexplored territory teeming with never seen before sea flora and fauna. They are attacked by a giant squid and then by a Meg. The Meg is a megalodon, a supposedly extinct 90-foot shark that could bite a whale in half and still has room for more in its stomach.Our motley crew of characters include Zhang (Winston Chao) and his daughter, Sunyi (Li Bingbing), a single mother with a cute daughter Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai). Lori (Jessica McNamee), who happens to be ex-wife of Jason Statham’s character, Toshi (Masi Oka), and a character called “The Wall” (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) go beneath the ‘clouds’ in a special Mars explorer like vehicle and get stuck there. Mac (Cliff Curtis), calls upon his former buddy, celebrated deep sea rescuer Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) to rescue them. He’s a borderline alcoholic but agrees for the last mission because, well, his ex-wife’s life is at stake. He has bad blood with the onboard doctor, Heller (Robert Taylor), which gets resolved during the course of the film. Jaxx (Ruby Rose) and DJ (Page Kennedy), are also included in this varied cast.
The film carries forward the spirit Jaws (1975) but thankfully deviates from the tropes put in place by the cult classic and follows its own course. Jon Turteltaub has kept a relentless pace throughout. The shark here is seen as a supernatural entity and not really a deranged killer as seen in Jaws and its derivatives. And there is a nice twist in the middle to keep you hooked till the end. The CGI creature keeps changing its size however. And somehow, you stop being afraid of it after a while. Jason Statham fighting a prehistoric giant shark is a drool-worthy idea. You want him to do some absurd things like kick the shark on its nose or take a knife to it and kill it after a vicious bout of hand-to-hand combat. You keep waiting for such a moment to happen and it does come towards the end, where defying the laws of physics he goes against the monster with a harpoon. The only question you want to ask veteran director Jon Turteltaub, a man famous for such films as Cool Runnings and National Treasure, is that why did he make us wait so long for this moment. And why didn't he put more moments like this in the film.
Though there is a spark there between Sunyi and Jonas, the director has chosen not to ignite it further and it remains untended. It must be mentioned that the Chinese star Bingbing isn’t just relegated to being eye candy and is seen seen taking risks and has as much screen time as Statham. A sign perhaps, of the growing clout of the Chinese market in Hollywood films. There are a couple of jokes about foreigners not speaking Chinese correctly, which further cements that idea.
The film, shot mostly at the sea, offers some stunning underwater scenes and some decent CGI. It hovers between being being a gloried B movie and a certified A movie. Jason Statham who is mostly seen in rescue vehicles doesn’t get enough action space, though a couple of his scenes with the shark, especially when he’s towed through the water away are totally worth his presence. If the film does well, be sure that other monstrous creatures are sure to surface from their secret hideout. Though the film doesn’t show an end which can take the sequel forward...
Trailer : The Meg
Neil Soans, August 10, 2018, 4:50 PM IST
3.0/5
The Meg Story: A 70-foot shark thought to be long extinct, returns from the depths of the ocean to attack an international deep-sea crew, leaving them to fend for their lives.
The Meg Review: Monster movies are meant to be CGI spectacles that make for mindless fun flicks. 'The Meg' is no different with its straightforward premise. Hollywood's obsession with sharks date all the way back to 1975, so this film is mainly an excuse for Jason Statham to take on a massive shark underwater. A big enough action star like Statham calls for a decent budget to be committed to this endeavour. This is evident as the CGI is a few notches higher to make it appear better than a B-grade flick.
Jason Statham knows exactly what he signed up for, and he has the right amount of fun playing Jonas Taylor, a retired rescue diver who is called back into action. Statham's training as a diver comes handy here, and he commits to the role with a sincerity that does the film a huge favour. Chinese actors Li Bingbing & Shuya Sophia Cai have interesting chemistry with each other and are the only actors besides Statham to watch out for. The rest of the cast is practically redundant, and therefore dispensable. The screenplay doesn't give the audience much to care about – the sentimental scenes don’t resonate too deep, and the comedy doesn’t hit home either. So when the scenes don't involve sharks or the actors mentioned before, it's hard to stay focused on the proceedings.
Perhaps the biggest drawback is the writing which does not narrow down on the film’s tonality. There are points where it takes itself a little too seriously, and others when it aims straight for cheesy popcorn blockbuster status. Little surprise then that director Jon Turteltaub doesn’t know what kind of film he’s making either. The momentum picks up towards the end when the monster mayhem escalates to bigger proportions, but it turns out to be too little, too late. Even if mega-sharks and Statham are enough to lure you to ‘The Meg’, check your expectations before you dive in.
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