The Meg

7.4 stars.

I rate all movies by entertainment value first and foremost. Is this a cheesy film? Of course. Is it as good as Jaws? Nobody is trying to accomplish such an absurdity.

This is a story about a very courageous and heroic guy played by Statham who is called out on a rescue because he is the only man for the job. He also has to prove it to a bunch of scientists just once for them to realize "oh yeah, this guy is the best". And so he has to do some crazy rescue stunts, putting his life in danger over and over.

The marine scientists have discovered a megalodon, which is basically a prehistoric shark that is 5 times the size of a great white (give or take). They have explored beyond the boundaries of where humans have ever been and these dinosaur-like sharks inhabit that depth of the trench. Now they have to contend with the shark(s).

'The Meg' fits the bill for any creature feature film, but the bonus is Jason Statham. In my opinion, he alone raises the bar for this type of film at least a couple of levels beyond most of the generic movies and this is a refreshing take on the genre. A few of the characters are developed just enough to like. There is also a bit of comic relief and some shady characters too. All the ingredients are present and accounted for. This is an enjoyable ride, no concentration or deep thinking is necessary.

I fairly enjoy this although I'd say Jon Turtletaub films have been better I don't get why this was basically launched into a black hole and chewed out into another dimension, I have fun. Maybe Meg 2 will do better at least critically. The Meg is plenty entertaining at least enough for a decent rating maybe you could say Jason Statham has been in better but at least he's a professional swimmer that I appreciate anything done by the actor for sure! I love Rainn Wilson he's awesome in anything he's been in even when he's a numb skull that makes ridiculous mistakes. I do notice the dialogue is a bit of a mess that's probably part of the hate but I enjoy The Meg for what it is, pretty good entertainment that you can have a nice treat with!

16 reviews, and half are all a fake high-rated single review of this film - makes me shake my head why the producers think their viewers are dumb and wont see thru the fakes. All it takes is one click to see the only single review from the poster. Don't get me started on the moronic review from halil-92019: "Playing computer games makes kids smarter?"

This film had it's moments, but it was nothing spectacular. The best parts were the cinematography, visuals and directing. The story itself has been done so many times, making the shark prehistoric doesn't add anything to the imagination. The writers needed to up this a few levels and not rely on Statham (who was great as always) to bring in the moviegoers into the theater. The 103 min length felt a little long, but the pacing good enough to keep you interested, although it was missing that constant extra thrill and suspense I expected. Instead, I cringed at the cheesy 1 liners and poor attempt at humor - most executed at the wrong time.

It's an honest deserving score of only 6/10 from me.

I will be upfront with anyone who hasn't watched this yet. Mindset-wise if you go in thinking more along the lines of Deep Blue Sea rather than JAWS you'll probably have a good time. If you want serious, deep storylines and Oscar-caliber performances you probably should avoid it because this isn't it. Also on that note, why the hell would you go see this movie in the first place if you want that?

This movie is just stupid fun with tons of funny moments. The comedy aspect of it actually caught me off guard. I expected a few funny moments here and there like most films of this ilk, but this is just straight up funny throughout. There are plenty of grandiose action sequences. A character you just flat out hate because he's such an atypical ass-hat and some beautiful CGI. The film itself is very well shot and I even had a hard time telling whether the FXs were practical or CGI in spots. They blended stuff together well. I thought the acting was solid for what this film is. It's about what I expected.

Like anything, there were a few things here and there that could have been better. But, none of those things were enough to hinder my enjoyment of it. I personally would have liked to see it be a tad bit gorier. I think that might have pushed this up a notch especially with the type of story this. On the other hand, that's more of a preference than an actual hindrance type thing.

This was exactly what I wanted out of a Summer Blockbuster style film. It's a fun theater-going experience. It's the type of movie you want to see on the big screen with a great sound system. What I would consider a perfect popcorn flick.

My Rating: 7/10

Granted, The Meg is dumb. Jason Statham takes on a giant shark from below what scientists thought was the bottom of the Marianas Trench. You know how it's going to end because Jason Statham doesn't ever lose. Even when faced with one or more enormous sharks

Great special effects cover for some sketchy acting - not that anyone watches these sorts of movies for acting - and some of the expected action movie tropes (like my personal favourite: someone getting killed gloating about their victory after they think the threat is over) in what is a fun film if you like giant creature movies and Jason Statham. One of those movies to not over-think.

Definitely not a masterpiece, but definitely enjoyable.