‘THE MEG 2: THE TRENCH’
CMC PICTURES/WARNER BROS
RELEASE DATE 4th AUGUST 2023
REVIEW BY: THE ELECTRIC DISCORDIAN
I will assume throughout this review you have a working knowledge of the first film, and you are okay with the concept of a prehistoric shark fighting Britain’s greatest actor! Firstly, let’s deal with the large Tuna in the room and address the Chinese connection. If I could criticise anything – it’s the film’s links to that oppressive regime. However, separating art from “artist” is important.
I thoroughly enjoyed the film, it had none of Ben Wheatley’s usual visual flare, but this was understandable given he was a fan of the original film, and wanted to mirror its style which he does with aplomb. The script does what a B movie sequel should do, and ups the ante on just about everything – from the scenery chewing villains, to more shark action … although maybe not quite enough for Meg fans!
Statham’s character has transformed from the broken man of the first film, to a martial-arts expert literal eco warrior! A very sharp departure from the books the films are based on, as he’s more Jeff Goldblum in the books!
The story is very, VERY loosely based on the second novel, but it turns into its own very large beast with power armour, mercenaries, and a very well-prepared computer expert – one of my favourite scenes in the film.
Ultimately, I love B-movies in general – be they about giant sharks or psychotic serial killing types, so if you are like me and loved ‘The Meg’, it’s an absolute no brainer that this if for you. If you’re a grey-face with no sense of humour then you might not get the joke!
This is a film that knows exactly how to deliver what the audience wants but be warned – it is no ‘2001’.
9.5/10!
Fin