The Meg
3.5/4
Starring: Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson, Cliff Curtis, Winston Chao, Sophia Cai, Ruby Rose, Robert Taylor, Jessica McNamee
Rated PG-13 for Action/Peril, Bloody Images and Some Language
"The Meg" is what all summer action movies should aspire to be. It's loud, action-packed and full of excitement from beginning to end. If it's a bit dumb, well so what? The sheer amount of visceral thrills that this movie contains is astonishing to behold, and more than enough to camouflage the occasional brain cramp. I mean, who actually believed the bridge jump in "Speed" was even conceivable?
Dr. Zhang (Chao) believes that there is life under the Mariana trench. To prove it, he's willing to send a submersible under and explore. It turns out he's right, but joy turns to horror when something attacks the sub and leaves it stranded. To rescue them, the head of the expedition, a man named Mac (Curtis), hires his old friend Jonas Taylor (Statham) to get them out. Of course, Jonas has a few chips on his shoulder. A previous rescue went wrong and some of his friends ended up dead, and he was disgraced when he claimed that something was attacking the sub. That his ex-wife Lori (McNamee) is on the troubled sub only adds bitter irony to the situation. Soon they realize what was attacking the ship: the thought-to-be extinct Megalodon, and during the rescue, one escapes. Now Jonas and his crew, including Zhang's pretty daughter Suyin (Li), have to find a way to kill Megalodon before it wreaks havoc on the human population.
The appeal of this movie is purely visceral. It's built on adrenaline and shocks, and it has those aplenty. And when I say "adrenaline," I mean it's what the late great Roger Ebert called a "bruised forearm" movie. And when I say shocks, I don't mean like someone suddenly appearing in the mirror. I mean like literal jolts that make you jump in your seat. Best of all, it takes place in the sunshine. No existential darkness like in a Christopher Nolan movie, and no visits to other planets like in an MCU movie. That's partly why it's so effective, because it hearkens back to a genre that has basically been dead since the world fell under the superhero addiction.
Jason Statham is a better actor than people give him credit for (see "Redemption" or "Wild Card" for examples of his talents). But here, he's in summer action movie mode, not drama. He's on hand to lend machismo, stunts and one-liners. That's okay for a movie this silly, and he delivers with a wink and a smile. He's having a ball. Chinese superstar Bingbing Li is certainly adorable and has a talent to match (although she's not as good as Ziyi Zhang might have been), but she has a little trouble with her one-liners. Still, she is undeniably appealing and she and Statham have a nice, understated chemistry. The rest of the cast fills their admittedly thin roles out nicely, although Ruby Rose (who nearly drowned on set) is fun to watch as the punker computer programmer and Sophia Cai is spunky and adorable without being obnoxious or insufferably cute.
The film was directed by Jon Turteltaub, whose resume doesn't leave much room for optimism. Yeah, he directed "National Treasure," but he also directed "Cool Runnings" and "Instinct" (the less said about that movie, the better). I never figured him to be a good choice for a mega blockbuster about a shark that puts Jaws to shame. But the results speak for themselves. This movie is a blast from start to finish. Just be sure to see it on as big of a screen as possible. Trust me on this.
Starring: Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson, Cliff Curtis, Winston Chao, Sophia Cai, Ruby Rose, Robert Taylor, Jessica McNamee
Rated PG-13 for Action/Peril, Bloody Images and Some Language
"The Meg" is what all summer action movies should aspire to be. It's loud, action-packed and full of excitement from beginning to end. If it's a bit dumb, well so what? The sheer amount of visceral thrills that this movie contains is astonishing to behold, and more than enough to camouflage the occasional brain cramp. I mean, who actually believed the bridge jump in "Speed" was even conceivable?
Dr. Zhang (Chao) believes that there is life under the Mariana trench. To prove it, he's willing to send a submersible under and explore. It turns out he's right, but joy turns to horror when something attacks the sub and leaves it stranded. To rescue them, the head of the expedition, a man named Mac (Curtis), hires his old friend Jonas Taylor (Statham) to get them out. Of course, Jonas has a few chips on his shoulder. A previous rescue went wrong and some of his friends ended up dead, and he was disgraced when he claimed that something was attacking the sub. That his ex-wife Lori (McNamee) is on the troubled sub only adds bitter irony to the situation. Soon they realize what was attacking the ship: the thought-to-be extinct Megalodon, and during the rescue, one escapes. Now Jonas and his crew, including Zhang's pretty daughter Suyin (Li), have to find a way to kill Megalodon before it wreaks havoc on the human population.
The appeal of this movie is purely visceral. It's built on adrenaline and shocks, and it has those aplenty. And when I say "adrenaline," I mean it's what the late great Roger Ebert called a "bruised forearm" movie. And when I say shocks, I don't mean like someone suddenly appearing in the mirror. I mean like literal jolts that make you jump in your seat. Best of all, it takes place in the sunshine. No existential darkness like in a Christopher Nolan movie, and no visits to other planets like in an MCU movie. That's partly why it's so effective, because it hearkens back to a genre that has basically been dead since the world fell under the superhero addiction.
Jason Statham is a better actor than people give him credit for (see "Redemption" or "Wild Card" for examples of his talents). But here, he's in summer action movie mode, not drama. He's on hand to lend machismo, stunts and one-liners. That's okay for a movie this silly, and he delivers with a wink and a smile. He's having a ball. Chinese superstar Bingbing Li is certainly adorable and has a talent to match (although she's not as good as Ziyi Zhang might have been), but she has a little trouble with her one-liners. Still, she is undeniably appealing and she and Statham have a nice, understated chemistry. The rest of the cast fills their admittedly thin roles out nicely, although Ruby Rose (who nearly drowned on set) is fun to watch as the punker computer programmer and Sophia Cai is spunky and adorable without being obnoxious or insufferably cute.
The film was directed by Jon Turteltaub, whose resume doesn't leave much room for optimism. Yeah, he directed "National Treasure," but he also directed "Cool Runnings" and "Instinct" (the less said about that movie, the better). I never figured him to be a good choice for a mega blockbuster about a shark that puts Jaws to shame. But the results speak for themselves. This movie is a blast from start to finish. Just be sure to see it on as big of a screen as possible. Trust me on this.
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