Movie: Meg 2 The Trench
Production Companies: CMC Pictures, DF Pictures, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Apelles Entertainment
Director: Ben Wheatley
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonventura, Belle Avery
Scriptwriters: Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Dean Georgaris
Main Cast: Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, Cliff Curtis
Release Date: August 4th 2023 (US)
Running Time: 116 minutes
Certificate: 12A
Introduction
Well, this was never going to be Oscar winning stuff but hey at least it’s got Jason Statham punching a shark so I’m happy. All that aside, Meg 2: The Trench is one of my favourite kinds of films, films which are so bad they become funny by the end. And yes, at some point it’s an absolute mess but it’s an endearing mess that features Jason Statham somehow keeping a meg’s mouth open with his foot. So, what better time is there to celebrate the wondrous nature of the world and the fact Meg 2 has outgrossed the Flash’s opening weekend?
Synopsis
Meg 2 The Trench follows a returning Jonas (Statham) five years after the first Meg film. Jonas is working as an undercover environmental agent stopping radioactive waste being dumped in the ocean. Can’t wait for Ben Shapiro to call this the most woke shark film ever… Anyway, when an expedition goes wrong (again) and reveals an illegal mining operation, wait a second. Has Ben Wheatley forgotten he was supposed to be directing a film about Jason Statham fighting prehistoric sharks? Anyway, all of this eventually culminates in Jonas jet skiing away from three Megs. All while the rest of the returning cast battle a Kraken. Hold up. No wonder I love this film because it’s probably something I’d have written when I was younger. Anyway, enough with the bonkers plot here’s some analysis on this meg-sterpiece.
Analysis
Screenplay in Meg 2 The Trench
One thing which irks me about the critical response to these films is the point, Oh but why would you want to see it, it’s going to have such bad writing. And yes that’s very true with the script feeling like two separate films. Which both forget it’s a Meg film until the last 30 minutes. However, the reason Meg 2 has already made back its budget is because sometimes people enjoy car crash, or I suppose shipwreck films. Which allow you to just switch your brain off during. All that in mind, ain’t nobody going to the Meg 2 for the writing mostly because it doesn’t exist. While three scriptwriters are attributed, it felt like all three were writing three separate films. Then they stitched them together to create a weird Sid like creation.
At times, you struggle to understand what motivates the characters or how they even know certain stuff. This is even more prevalent when it comes to the copious exposition like Suyin randomly dying off screen and her death being used to further the plot like a WWE storyline. Or the entire illegal mining operation being filled with exposition to the point of lunacy. But I do appreciate that even the script seems to go let’s have a meg fight a kraken. So look I get critics will want to look down their noses at the rightfully god awful writing. But if you can look past that you get an incredibly entertaining and daft film.
Lack Of Megs in Meg 2 The Trench
Following on from that, the biggest problem with Meg 2’s screenplay and plot is the extreme lack of Megalodons. Seriously, until the last 20 minutes there’s probably about 15 minutes or less of Megs. And given a huge selling point of the film is the global appeal of watching Jason Statham fight Megs. There’s Meg 2’s huge problem. Honestly, the final sequence (nonsensical writing aside) is the best part of the film because it belatedly delivers on the film’s promise.
Bafflingly, the megs takes a back seat to a mining plot. This is bizarre as all I wanted to see was Jason Statham punching a prehistoric shark. So, word of warning to Ben Wheatley as much as I’m hopeful of a third Meg film please don’t waste time with mining and instead skip to the part where Jonas jet skis away from 3 Megalodons whilst wielding torpedo spears. So daft but so much fun when it actually delivers on the Meg’s action scenes.
Jason Statham’s Performance in Meg 2 The Trench
However, surely the elephant in the room is how much fun is Jason Statham’s performance as himse- sorry Jonas Taylor. To steal a joke from Screen Junkies, he looks like a man made solely out of stubble and growls. Anyway, despite the screenplay giving him nothing to work with, Statham still pulls a passable and fun performance out of god knows where. And that arguably deserves an Oscar for making you somewhat care about Jonas beyond the confines of watching him keep a Meg’s mouth open with his foot.
Once again, your love of Statham’s performance will come down to whether you can look past the pretty horrible and non-existent writing because if you can it encapsulates the so bad it’s hilarious mentality of Meg 2 The Trench. I would comment on the other actor’s performances but honestly there’s less to their performances than there are Meg scenes in the film.
Summary
To summarise Meg 2 The Trench, this is a daft, over the top and frankly nonsensical film which throws everything, including logic, out of the window. Whether it’s the writing or acting, Meg 2 firmly jumps the sharks and Kraken but is entertaining enough that it’ll have audiences wondering what Meg 3 would look like. Once again to reiterate, as long as Jason Statham punches a shark in the face it doesn’t need to be Oscar winning material.
Overall Rating: 5/10 – Average
Target Audience: 12+
Content Warning: Moderate Violence and Gore, Mild Profanity, Mild Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking, Severe Frightening and Intense Scenes
Recommendation: Yes
