Meg 2: The Trench , Science fiction mixed with mystery

Before we, ahem, dive into our review of “Meg 2,” a few fun facts on the Megalodon, the titular real-life prehistoric shark, according to some unusually detailed production notes from the studio:

It weighed up to 50 tons (45 metric tons) and exceeded 60 feet (18 meters) in length. Its vertebrae were the size of a large dinner plate — no salad plates here! There’s “no likelihood” that any actually survived to this day (we’d feel better with “no chance,” but OK.) And, its jaw was so wide, it could swallow two adults side by side.

Instead of focusing on the fugitive meg—who escapes hysterically easily while the crew is focused on something else—the script by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, and Dean Georgaris sends Jonas and his crew deep into the ocean to the trench that the megalodons have called home for centuries. On their way into the murky, poorly shot ocean—seriously, Wheatley’s answer to recreating underwater photography is just to turn the lighting down—they discover other megalodons, but that’s nothing compared to the evil humans who also happen to be in the trench, mining it for resources. Yes, Jonas and his team stumble upon an illegal operation in the middle of the ocean, which leads to their vessels being destroyed. A sequence in which they’re forced to walk the ocean floor to a facility is one of the most poorly executed in years. It almost felt real-time.

The sharks, when they do appear, look pretty impressive, but the film’s best special effect remains Statham, who is a living action figure right down to his unchanging expressions. Like a great deadpan silent comedian, he has a unique ability to make his already straight face even straighter as the absurdity around him ratchets up. This combination of bearing and glower makes us want to see him in the most delightfully ridiculous situations, a thrill Meg 2 provides only in sporadic bursts. When Statham picks up a helicopter blade five times his size in an attempt to spear a shark 50 times his size, it briefly feels like his glory days are back. They’re not, but it’s fun to dream.

“Meg 2: The Trench” sunk its pearly whites into $3.2 million in Thursday previews, as the followup to the 2018 Jason Statham hit is hoping to premiere to $30 million.

Critics have feasted on the film, giving it a dreadful 28% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the pulverizing reviews may not have much impact on audiences who don’t turn up to these type of movies out of a desire to see a pioneering work of cinema. Instead, they’ll get a chance to witness a 75-foot-long megalodon, and other sea creatures who prefer human flesh to plankton, make short work of a group of scientists. Warner Bros. is backing the movie, which cost $129 million to produce.

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Sarah H

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