Jason Statham regularly pleases us with his presence in all kinds of action films, but the quality of these films is very different. Guy Ritchie, whose collaboration with Statham regularly results in high-quality and extraordinary films, has learned best to reveal the actor’s talents. But often we get something on the level of an average remake of “The Mechanic.” And sometimes “Meg 2: The Hollow” comes along and it’s a frankly mediocre movie. Read more in our review below.
Pros: Jason Statham is still a joy to look at; several good scenes and jokes Cons: incoherence of the script and concept of the film; the structure tries to combine different genres and styles, but none of them are brought to an acceptable level; general boredom while watching
Meg 2: The Trench
Genre Action
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Cast: Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sienna Guillory, Paige Kennedy, Cliff Curtis, Ron Smoorenburg, Sergio Peris-Mencheta
Premiere cinemas
Release year 2023
IMDb website
Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) was once a simple rescue diver, but is now involved in a large research mission in the underwater depths. All because of his passion for the world of the deep oceans – and the clash with megalodons, which the hero managed to survive. But some of the dangerous sharks managed to escape at one time. Therefore, Taylor’s new meeting with predators was inevitable.
The first part of “The Meg” had a clear focus, which boils down to the phrase “Statham vs. the prehistoric shark.” This is a simple, but generally working scheme, because films about the collision of man and living creatures for every taste appear constantly. In addition, Statham himself is always a pleasure to watch in a dynamic environment.
“Meg 2” tries to turn the plot that worked in the first part into something more complex – but completely fails at this. They try to fit scientific research elements, a storyline involving illegal resource extraction, family drama, a climax involving a crowd of strangers – and yes, the megalodons themselves – into one film. It turns out so chaotic that at some point you stop understanding what the film is all about.
Even the role of the sharks themselves is not fully explained here. They are either the main opponents, or part of living nature and natural forces, or even unexpected allies and a metaphor for justice. In addition, the film devotes at most 15% of its running time to the confrontation with megalodons. And even though the sharks themselves are well-realized and awe-inspiring, you simply don’t have time to enjoy them.
But with the other main decoration of the film, Jason Statham, in “Meg 2” there is complete order. His character here does not shine with the depths (pun intended) of character, rather representing a classic fighting Statham. But it’s always nice to look at him. Perhaps the entire film crew was aware of the actor’s charisma, so at the very beginning of the film they dedicated a somewhat out-of-context, but exciting scene to him.
Only if it was a success, then almost all other moments are not so good. The Meg 2 tries to create tension in every way possible, but none of them work. The fear of the depths and underwater creatures is not fully realized here, and many key moments generally unfold in the dark, which makes them very difficult to understand.
Of course, lighting at underwater depths is poor, so from the point of view of physics, “Meg 2” shows this nuance correctly. Only this is the case when realism harms the artistic perception of cinema.
Also, the film is not pleased with the lackluster acting of almost all the other characters. Particularly bad in this regard were antagonistic people, who are so stereotyped that it would be impossible to say anything beyond measure about them even if you really wanted to.
The secondary characters add further burden to the already falling apart plot. And all this is for the sake of a couple of successful jokes and scenes that don’t really brighten up the 116 minutes of the rest of the film.
“Meg 2” refuses any attempts at logic, cause-and-effect relationships and elaboration of its story for the sake of stupid pathos – but even this is given to the film too strained and unnatural.
Of course, fans of Jason Statham (the author of this text is among them) will clearly be happy to see the next incredible somersaults from the famous actor. But what someone else should do is a very big question.
Fans of sharks and the underwater world will not have enough of either the first or the second. As for an action movie, everything here is very bland, drawn-out and boring. There is no smell of a bright adventure here. From the thriller component there are only attempts to catch up with suspense, but they also fail.
The first film wasn’t the pinnacle of cinema either, but it did the job of entertaining. “Meg 2”, trying to capture more than the team can realize, fails in this too. As a result, viewing only becomes boring. Why then waste your precious time on it?
Conclusion:
Megalodons are impressive and dangerous creatures in their own right, but “Meg 2” managed to turn them into something as ordinary and boring as possible. The entire film is filled with such anti-achievements – and no Statham can help here. Well, maybe just a little
