Monster movies are very popular in Asian territories.

However, because China and Japan don’t have the friendliest International discourse, you can understand why China doesn’t want to replicate their own knock off of a Godzilla movie despite the fact that it will be well received in its country.

When you can’t create a movie about a giant lizard that comes out of the sea and destroys everything, you create a movie about a giant shark that comes out of the sea and destroys everything.

In 2018, the Chinese backed production company ‘Flagship Entertainment Group’ backed the latest Hollywood Blockbuster that put a not so new twist in the realm of giant monster movies.  What if we made a monster film about a giant prehistoric shark?  Enter the Megalodon.

A shark the size of a large fishing boat interacting with the modern world causing horror beyond imagine is the idea behind the latest Warner Bros movie that has Jason Statham returning to helm of the film.

The first film was somewhat successful thanks to a boost that it got from International audiences that lead Warner Brothers to believe that a sequel of this film would be a successful Endeavor in 2023.

‘Meg 2: The Trench’ is a film that takes place five years after the events of the first movie. Jonas Taylor played by Jason Statham is still fighting environmental crimes while helping Mana One in exploring a further deep part of the Mariana Trench which was the source the Megalodon was found in the previous film.

Mana One has been able to capture a Megalodon in their captivity and has proceeded to attempt to tame the creature in an effort to boost scientific efforts.  When the team goes back to the trench to further their research, they see that a team of scavengers has arrived at the location, and they are proceeding to steal rare minerals from the site.

Their attempts to stop them go haywire as the group is attacked by multiple megalodons and another unseen predator.  Stuck at the bottom of the ocean, the team has to do everything within their abilities to save themselves and prevent the giant monsters who have escaped from the oceans floor from causing havoc in the world.

If it wasn’t for giant CGI monsters, Meg 2: The Trench would be a film that suffers from a lack of any real plot or interest for audiences to hold on to.  The implication here is that if you’re going to see a movie about a giant shark then all you want is a film about said shark.

If you’re looking for anything else along the way, you’re going to be in for a rough ride as Meg 2 has no other justification to exist outside a pseudo father-daughter relationship. Jason Statham crafts a parental relationship with Meiying Zhang (Shuya Sophia Cai) because her mother was killed in the previous film. Meg 2 tries to cook up a father-daughter dynamic that could be better received if there was anything else in this film worthy of gripping on to.

With Jason Statham starring in the movie, many expect to see a lot of kicking and punching coming from the action star however Statham is pretty reserved as the script does not allow him many opportunities to punch his problems in the face.

Meg 2 isn’t an awful by any stretch but the pacing and the tone of the movie is incredibly mundane.  It feels like Warner Brothers were banking on the possibility that this would be a big hit overseas as these type of films play up better to an international market than here in the United States.

For audiences in the United States, Meg 2 is very cookie cutter. You have your typical evil Corporation that is copy and pasted from every low budget film ever,  you have characters who are only there for the sole purpose of comedy relief along with characters were only there for the sole purpose of being eaten by the giant monsters.

If you know what you’re getting into, there’s a somewhat decent time to be had here but if you’re looking for anything more than a summer popcorn flick that you’re going to be hard up to find any real meat that Meg to has to offer.

‘Meg 2: The Trench’ is a mediocre movie and a mediocre summer blockbuster. You’re better off waiting for the film to hit streaming then wasting your money and time on a theatrical experience.

2/5

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