New Release Birb: The Meg

The Meg
Starring: Jason Statham and a Megalodon
Directed by John Turteltaub
US Release Date: 10 August 2018
My First Viewing: 9 August 2018

There are three types of bad movies. Either it's so bad it's good, just plain awful, or has good intentions but fell short of expectations. The new Jason Statham action film The Meg falls in category number three.

Statham stars as Jonas, a deep sea diver who, after a traumatic incident that left two of his companions dead, has holed himself up in Thailand. When a new crew of divers led by Jonas' ex-wife Lori (Jessica McNamee) is stranded after an unknown entity attacks their submarine, Jonas is called back into duty by the Zhang Corporation led by ex-partner Mac (Cliff Curtis) and Zhang (Winston Chao). What attacked the sub? It's a Megalodon. The once-thought extinct 70-foot sea predator is on the prowl, and it's up to Jonas and the rest of the Zhang team to stop it.

What works in the film is Statham as Jonas playing the role you usually see Statham play in any action movie he stars in. You pay to see Statham kick some butt, whether it be bad guys or in this case, a 70-foot shark. The young actress playing Zhang's granddaughter (Shuya Sophia Cai) is the highlight of most if not all of the best comedic moments. However, the film lacks a sense of direction where shaving off twenty minutes from its bloated 113-minute runtime could have made it a tighter film. The character of Lori isn't even necessary, only serving as a bridge for Jonas to fall for Zhang's daughter Suyin (Bingbing Li), as well as a motivator for Jonas to agree to this mission.

It's obvious that this is not a film catered toward an American audience. Carrying a reported $150M budget, it is all but banking that it will make heaps of cash in the Chinese market. If you're looking for a fun time and like watching Statham in action, check out this movie. Just go in with lowered expectations.

The Meg is rated PG13 for shark violence and frightening moments, also involving sharks. What are your thoughts? Follow me on facebook and instagram and let me know what you thought.

-birb

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