August movies traditionally are slated for films that studios don’t feel they’re good enough to compete against the big summer blockbusters but good enough to win the all-important “Number One” in the Box Office crown for at least the opening week that it’s out. The Meg starring Jason Statham is such a film. Warning, spoilers ahead…
As far as shark films are related, The Meg reminds me of a cross over between an old-fashioned B-movie and something that would be on the SyFy Channel during Shark Week. Neither of which is a bad thing. The premise is a color by numbers formula. A deep-sea expedition comes under attack by a Megalodon, a shark of epic proportions thought to be long since extinct, leaving the crew stranded on the bottom of the Pacific. Enter Jonas Taylor (Statham), a deep-sea rescue diver who had encountered the creature 5-years earlier but no one took seriously. Now it’s a race against time to not only save the stranded crew but keep themselves and the people on the surface from being shark bait.
These are the type of films that if you don’t take too seriously, you should do quite fine and take it for what it’s worth. The Meg is a throwback popcorn film that provides probably more unintentional laughs than heart pulsing action. Although, there are some pretty cool action scenes and Statham is always fun even though he is the same character in every, single film he is in.
If you have nothing to do on a rainy day, catch a matinée of this and you won’t waste your time for it’s a welcome distraction from the real world. Definitely better than Sharknado.
Directed by: Jon Turtletaub
Starring: Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Winston Chao, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose and Page Kennedy
PG13 114 mins
THE MEG *** (out of 5 stars)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
