The Meg

Can you belive that it was 43 years ago since the best shark movie ever made was released ? I am of course talking about the cult classic Jaws from 1975, directed by the legend Steven Spielberg. It seems that no matter how many years go by, this film is still as good today, as it was when i first saw it in my early youth. What made Jaws such a special film, was not only how well made the film was, but especially all the great characters. Of course you have to admit, Roy Scheider as Chief Martin Brody is one of the Iconic cinema characters you will always remember. Jaws was one of the few shark movies, that actually had a good story and great acting included. And the shark looks really good, even today on DVD or Blu Ray. The special effects are really well made, and this was made 43 years ago. The sequels are not really anything special, i will say though that Jaws 2 is not terrible. And Roy Schieder returned as Martin Brody, and that did help the sequel to become watchable at least. Shark movies can be found in many different shapes, where some film makers combine different ideas to make shark movies look cool. Unfortunately, not all of these ideas are good. And there are films released that no one will remember. SyFy movies are at least good at doing fun B movies, and they have done some cheesy highlights like Empire Of The Sharks. The Sharknado franchise is of course the best work that we have seen from SyFy, and every film is a pure delight to watch. But there is one shark film i still feel is one of the better releases in this genre, known as Deep Blue Sea. Released in 1999 by director Renny Harlin, this is a film that managed to work as an action film. The cast is also great with Stellan Skargsård, Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, Thomas Jane and many more. If you love shark movies, you have to see Deep Blue Sea. It is one of the last fun 90´s action films, with a passion for B movies ( with a higher budget of course than most movies in this genre ). Actor Jason Statham is someone you probably know from action movies such as The Expendables, The Transporter and The Mechanic. He have done a lot of good action films, and is becoming an action Icon for many reasons. When i read that he was going to be in a shark film called The Meg, i was surprised. This seemed to be a different genre than what we have seen Jason Statham do before, and i liked the idea of him doing a complete different genre. When the trailer was released, i felt that this could be fun, if the film manage to deliver entertainment. I had to experience The Meg in cinema of course, so i finally got a chance to see it. Do we have a future shark cult classic in our hands with The Meg, or is this more terrible than what we could have expected ?

Jonas Taylor ( Jason Statham ), a rescue diver, attempts to save a group of scientists from a nuclear submarine. Just as he is trying to save the last two scientists, they are attacked by an unknown creature. Jonas can´t take any chances, if they are going to survive he have to leave the last two scientists, or they may not make it to the surface. Jonas is questioned about his decision, but he have no doubts that this was the only right thing to do. 5 years later, billionaire Jack Morris ( Rainn Wilson ) meets Dr. Minway Zhang ( Winston Chao ) at the underwater research facility " Mana One "which is financed by Morris. Dr. Minway and his daughter Suyin ( Bingbing Li ) are supervising a mission to explore, what species can be found very deep on the section of the Marianas trench. The mission is being conducted by Lori ( Jessica McNamee ) as they head down to look for new species. But as they explore the area, a large creature attack them, as they are stuck underneath the sea. Their best chances to get them up to the surface, is to contact Jonas Taylor, according to James " Mac " Mackreides ( Cliff Curtis ). Jonas is now living in Thailand, and have left his diving career, just to enjoy life. A team travel to Thailand to get Jonas approve a rescue mission. At first he is not interested, until he hears that his ex-wife Lori is trapped underneath the sea with her crew. As they find out a Megalodon ( biggest shark ever known ) is behind the attack, Jonas realize this will be a much more complicated mission, and a lot more of strategy is needed.

My expectations for The Meg was not very high, because i knew that this could be another shark movie release that reminds me of so many straight to DVD releases. The good news is, The Meg is better than most shark movies that i have seen for quite some time now. This is no classic, or a cult film in any way. This is just a fun Science Fiction action film, especially if you love to see a big shark attack humans. And this is where The Meg works best, being an action movie underneath the sea. The film looks good, and to put actor Jason Statham in a shark action film actually works better than i expected. So let´s talk about some positive details. The research facility known as Mana One looks cool, especially the walkways underneath the sea, where people can see different species swim in the ocean. The shark known as Megalodon looks massive, and also looks cool as this massive shark attacks. And the attack scenes in this film is not that bad actually, compared to many other shark movies. Jason Statham as the character Jonas Taylor is without a doubt the best character in this film. I have seen Jason in many films, and he clearly can take on a different kind of film and still deliver a performance that fits him. Since he knows how to deliver in action scenes, he does here as well, but in a different way from his usual action films. There are a few other characters i enjoy as well. Actor Ruby Rose as Jaxx Herd is a cool female character that a film like this need, since there is basically almost only men on the facility Mana One. Child actor Shuya Sophia Cai as the adorable character Meiying gives this film a different perspective, since she does a good job with her character. Let´s get to some negative parts. The story is nothing you care about, since there is a very simple story here. I also feel that there are no surprising twists here, something i would have liked to see. You will basically figure out what will happen in the end. Other than this, i still feel that this is a film for shark movie lovers. Legendary director Jon Turtletaub ( who have directed a number of good films such as Cool Runnings, While You Were Sleeping and National Treasure ), have found a way to bring back the shark genre back into the big screen and makes it look good. He knows that people wants action, and a big shark, and he combines this well with The Meg. If you don´t like these types of films, then i guarantee that The Meg won´t change your mind, However, if you do enjoy shark movies, i think The Meg will give you a good time. I suggest you go see this film in cinema before the film stops showing, it is not often you see a good shark action film showing in cinemas these days.

Rating: DDD