The Meg (2018) Review

In prep for Meg 2: The Trench, I thought I had to go back and watch the first film, The Meg. So yesterday, I watched the film and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a group of scientists encounter a legendary Sea predator, The Megalodon who is clearly the apex predator. 

Main Character 

Jason Statham plays Jonas Taylor and he is exactly what you expect. Statham plays the traditional character that he always does, the tough macho guy that ends up being this ridiculous action hero doing the craziest of stunts here. The Meg is no different, Statham is good in the role he is playing but there is no depth here and the film kind of tries to add depth but it is totally pointless and Statham doesn't do enough, though he is clearly a highlight of the film. 

Supporting Characters 

Cliff Curtis is a talented actor and he is pretty much the only decent supporting character here. He is a friend of Statham's and their chemistry is one of the highlights of the film, though he kind of gets pushed to the back of this large cast. 

The rest of the cast though are not good. Bingbing Li plays the love interest of Statham and there is very little chemistry between them and I guess I just never grew to care about the dynamic between the two of them which is a shame. 

Rainn Wilson is usually an actor I like, but he is insufferable here. He plays the rich CEO of the company that is studying The Meg and you can just imagine what he is like and it just didn't work for me and he was just annoying. 

As I mentioned, there is a big cast and some annoying performances by Ruby Rose, Page Kennedy & Robert Taylor. They are just unlikeable and you don't care about them at all despite the film really trying to make you care. 

Story

Look, I didn't go into this film expecting a great story but there is literally nothing here to really care about. We're not here for great storytelling, we are here to watch Jason Statham fight The Meg and I am fine with that but yeah the story is bad and there is no depth here. 

Script 

Th script is extremely cheesy but I can't lie that I chuckle at times, if you can turn your brain off and just enjoy the experience then some of it works. Some of it also doesn't, the drama is misused and some of the humour isn't very funny either. 

Style 

Where the film really thrives is the style. The action set pieces are really fun, they are ridiculous and over the top but they are great to watch and a lot of fun. The CGI is also pretty good and I liked the design of The Meg and how it was used. The films pacing flew by and I thought it was a really easy watch which is always a benefit. 

Overall

Overall, The Meg is an average film, but it is a very entertaining watch. If you just want a film that is ridiculous, over the top and fun then The Meg is for you, but if you need a bit more depth then it will not be you. 

Rating - 5/10