Meg, The (2018) [Blu-ray]
Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

A deep-sea submersible--part of an international undersea observation program--has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific... with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew--and the ocean itself--from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below.

Storyline: Five years ago, expert sea diver and Naval Captain Jonas Taylor encountered an unknown danger in the unexplored recesses of the Mariana Trench that forced him to abort his mission and abandon half his crew. Though the tragic incident earned him a dishonorable discharge, what ultimately cost him his career, his marriage and any semblance of honor was his unsupported and incredulous claims of what caused it - an attack on his vessel by a mammoth, 70-foot sea creature, believed to be extinct for more than a million years. But when a submersible lies sunk and disabled at the bottom of the ocean - carrying his ex-wife among the team onboard - he is the one who gets the call. Whether a shot at redemption or a suicide mission, Jonas must confront his fears and risk his own life and the lives of everyone trapped below on a single question: Could the Carcharodon Megalodon - the largest marine predator that ever existed - still be alive ... and on the hunt? Written by Warner Brothers

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Michael Reuben, November 14, 2018 Any movie with a giant shark for a villain has the impossible task of filling the big fins of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, which is probably why The Meg kicked around Hollywood for decades. Writers and directors came and went, and the project migrated from Disney to New Line to Warner Brothers. The film eventually released to theaters in August 2018 was utterly ridiculous—and that may have been the key to its surprise success. Under the direction of Jon Turtletaub, who succeeded in making goofy entertainment out of improbable nonsense in the National Treasure series, The Meg is mindless, formulaic fun, shamelessly stealing—and even directly quoting—a wide array of predecessors from Deep Blue Sea to The Abyss to Jaws itself. The film never pretends to be anything more than the PG-13 nonsense it is, and by not asking itself or us to take it more seriously, it manages to create two hours of effective popcorn diversion.

It helps that the film stars Jason Statham, whose appealing presence has effectively anchored improbable franchises like The Transporter and Crank series. (No wonder the Fast & Furious crew latched onto him as their latest frenemy.) With Statham at the head of an oversized international cast, The Meg gleefully runs through every trope you've ever seen in a deep sea creature feature going all the way back to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It doesn't add anything new, but it does find enough variations to hold your interest, and Turtletaub keeps things hurtling forward fast enough that the tale's screaming inconsistencies retreat into the background. It's more a theme-park ride than a movie, but at least the ride is a good one.

The "Meg" of the title refers to the megalodon, a prehistoric species believed to be the largest shark of all time. Thought to be extinct for 23 million years, the meg is inadvertently discovered in the heretofore unknown lower depths of the Marianas Trench by a research team led by Dr. Minway Zhang (Winston Chao) and his daughter, Suyin (Li Bingbing). Dr. Zhang and his team have spent years constructing a unique underwater facility named "Mana One". The project has been funded by billionaire Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson), who is either indulging his fantasies or looking for some new motherlode of business opportunity (it's never clear which, and it really doesn't matter). When an exploratory submersible commanded by Lori (Jessica McNamee) is attacked by the meg and disabled, Dr. Zhang calls in the only available diver who has ever attempted a rescue at such extreme depths: Jonas Taylor (Statham).

But Jonas takes some persuading, because five years ago, his last deep-ocean rescue resulted in the death of two of his crew, and he's been drinking himself into a stupor ever since. The mission's medical officer, Dr. Heller (Robert Taylor, a long way from Longmire), blamed Jonas, but Jonas claims that he had no choice but to sacrifice the men after their rescue mission was attacked by a giant unseen creature that he believed to be a megalodon. He and Heller haven't spoken since, which makes it awkward that Heller just happens to be Mana One's resident physician.

Now pay close attention, because there's a plot point in the previous paragraph that is emblematic of The Meg's utter disregard for logic. The megalodon has supposedly remained hidden for 23 million years, and no one even knew about it until the crew from Mana One penetrated the thermocline cloud of hydrogen sulfide gas obscuring true depth of the Marianas Trench. Then The Meg's scientific experts carefully explain how the explorations's penetration of the thermocline cloud and the subsequent rescue are what allowed the superfish to escape into "our" ocean and become a menace. So . . . how could Jonas have encountered a megalodon five years before the Mana One expedition first descended below that cloud? Did the big fish just pop up for a quick look around before deciding to go back home? (But it can't do that unless human activity breaches the cloud, which then seals itself.) Look beneath the foggy layer of pseudo-scientific jargon, and you quickly discover a gaping plot hole. These multiply faster than guppies in The Meg, and eventually you just have to sit back and giggle as the absurdities swim by.

It's obvious from the get-go that Jonas is going to strap his flippers back on, because (a) he's the hero, (b) it's a classic movie cliche, and (c) Lori turns out to be his ex-wife and she needs rescuing. Once Jonas arrives at Mana One, he gives up alcohol as effortlessly as the meg adapts to the brighter light and reduced pressure of the ocean's surface. Endless calamities, destruction of property and fish feedings ensue, with multiple strategies improvised to destroy the beast, with varying degrees of success and cast members being munched on a regular basis. They're joined in the meg's stomach by a fair number of extras when the beast reaches China's Sanya Bay, where the crowd makes Amity Island's holiday weekend population look sparse. Jonas saves the day, but not before grabbing the opportunity to reconcile with some old adversaries and fall in love with Suyin, whose adorable eight-year-old daughter, Meiying (Sophia Cai), heartily approves of the match. Meiying supplies The Meg's requisite cuteness factor, and Statham wisely lets the precocious tot steal all of their scenes together. (She was great in the trailer, too.)

One of The Meg's unexpected pleasures is counting up all the references to other films (usually better ones, but not always) that have been worked into the proceedings by Turtletaub, an array of screenwriters (three are credited) and the production team. They range from echoes of a familiar music cue to a key character's apparent death-by-drowning (sorry, but that's just too predictable to be a spoiler) to the little boy on the beach whose mother is reluctant to let him go in the water. You remember what happened to that kid in Jaws, don't you?

One of the reasons why Jaws has never been equaled (or even approached) is that Spielberg understood then, and still does, the importance of creating three-dimensional characters, even in the most buttery of popcorn entertainments. Where would Jaws be without Sheriff Brody's dinner table scene with his kids or the long conversation among Brody, Hooper and Quint that builds to the tale of the Indianapolis? Those are the kinds of character moments that create genuine stakes when the action kicks in, and they're tough to achieve, because the writing has to be good, the acting first-class, and the director has to know how to shoot routine human interaction in a way that sustains visual interest. It's a tricky formula, and most films don't even attempt it. The Meg certainly doesn't, but at least it's honest about being nothing more than dumb entertainment, and that in itself is a refreshing change. Jason Statham centers the film with his ability to remain serious in even the most ridiculous of situations, and Turtletaub keeps things moving fast enough that The Meg skates over its many plot holes. Successful on its own terms and recommended for what it is, but if you have the requisite hardware, get the UHD version, which doesn't suffer as much from Warner's Stupid Disc Authoring (SDA™).

[CSW] -3.6- While "The Meg" is not exactly the greatest or most original shark movie out there, the story about a prehistoric giant that actually existed was just too good to pass up. I actually found the plot to be refreshingly realistic (compared with the more cheesy monster flicks like "Jurassic World II") Right from the beginning the film moves along at a brisk pace and even includes some very impressive underwater sequences. Aside from the Megalodon, I also appreciated the futuristic deep sea technology featured all throughout. To my pleasant surprise, I walked away from this film both thrilled and educated in one sitting.
[V3.5-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box motion codes were available at the time of this rental although they are available now.


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