‘The Meg 2’ Movie Review: Jason Statham’s Deep-Sea Thriller Is A Pale Shadow Of The Bone-Chilling First Film

‘The Meg 2’: Cast & Crew

Director: Ben Wheatley

Cast: Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, Sienna Guillory, Cliff Curtis

Available On: Amazon Prime Video, BookMyShow Stream

Duration: 1 Hour 56 Minutes

‘The Meg 2’: Story

5 years after the events of the first film, Jonas Taylor has been involved in fighting environmental crimes while also helping Mana One in exploring a further deep part of the Mariana Trench where the Megalodon had been found. Now, the research team encounters multiple threats while exploring the depths of the ocean, including a malevolent mining operation, and of course, more Megs. Will the team be able to escape the jaws of the Megs once again? Or will some people from the crew lose their lives once again? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch ‘The Meg 2’.

‘The Meg 2’: Performances

Jason Statham is known for his action films. The way he makes the action sequences and stunts feel realistic is what audiences love about him. Sadly, there is barely much action to do in ‘The Meg 2’.

Wu Jing has been absolutely wasted in a character that’s not even worthy of his talent. In an action film, he is more so there to provide comic relief rather than being part of the action that much.

None of the others in the cast have enough screen time to even be worth a mention.

‘The Meg 2’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

Ben Wheatley’s direction is not top-notch. When you have an action-adventure screenplay in your hand, you’re supposed to create situations that accentuate the plot to a higher level. However, that accentuation just didn’t happen. Everything just was left more in-you-face sort of, which didn’t leave a good after-taste. The dialogue was trying to be too sarcastic, but it ended up killing the fun of the action sequences and making you lose focus. It's okay to have some lighter moments in between an action sequence, but to not do that action sequence well enough is a sheer crime. To add to all of that, what species were those Comodo dragon-looking dinosaurs? Nothing’s explained that well throughout. Overall, it was just patchy shoddy work.

The writing by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris is pretty much non-existent. The story, which is adapted from Steve Alten’s ‘The Trench’, left out so many smaller details in the plot. The one line of the screenplay could just have been ‘5 years after the mishap of ‘The Meg’, the same crew screws up again’. There is nothing more to the storyline that’s added, and that’s what’s worst about ‘The Meg 2’. When you don’t have anything more than a one-liner for a story, that’s not good for the longevity of the film, and that is what’s going to happen with this film.

Haris Zambarloukos’s cinematography is all that ‘The Meg 2’ is about. With the script being non-existent and the direction being wafer-thin, it was left for a miracle of cinematography to at least make it worth the 2 hours spent. Thankfully, Haris Zambarlouko’s sense of camera work is brilliant, and that makes the film watchable. The seamless transition between underwater scenes and scenes above the sea are so distinctly different from one another that you’re left with no confusion whatsoever as to what’s happening when and where. The brilliant usage of POV angles, whenever possible, to make the viewer feel the intensity of the ‘The Meg’ is superb.

The editing by Jonathan Amos could have been crisper. There are so many instances where you’re waiting for a jump scare, but the scare which comes isn’t eventually that good. However, it’s good that he has managed to keep the length of the film to under 2 hours.

The music by Harry Gregson-Williams is pretty much the weakest link in the film. In action-adventure thrillers music and background score play a big role in transporting the viewer to the middle of all that’s happening. Sadly, that doesn’t happen with ‘The Meg 2’. The BGM is so weak that you’re at times wondering whether or not the surround sound system of your home theatre is working or not. Sadly, the home theatre is working, the film’s music isn’t!

‘The Meg 2’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

It’s sad to see that Jason Statham said yes to this script. Being one of the best action stars, he should have made sure there were more thrills and chills to run down the spine in this sequel to ‘The Meg’. The first part was bone-chilling, to say the least. However, ‘The Meg 2’ relies more on sarcasm, innuendoes, jokes and even the usual familial tropes rather than giving the audience a heart-thumping action adventure. Besides the cinematography, there’s hardly anything worth in the entire 2 hours of film. It’s a pale shadow of the first film and is easily Below Average. I am going with 2 stars.