300 Words on "The Meg" (2018)

Every modern shark movie – good, bad, or ugly – is compared to Jaws. Well, The Meg is no Jaws. While Jaws is a tense thriller directed with style and engaging, real characters, The Meg is two very silly hours of adrenaline-pumping action and adventure.

However, I expected little else and wanted nothing more.

Based on the novel by Steve Alten, The Meg is the very definition of popcorn entertainment. This is, after all, a movie in which a prehistoric, 75-foot-long great white shark terrorizes the scientists working at a state-of-the-art underwater research center and their only hope for survival is Jason Statham. And it delivers on the goods.

The Meg is a fast-paced two hours – its plot is relentless as it charges from one set-piece into the next; never seeing the need to come up from its shark-infested waters for air. Packed between scenes of ultra-modern submarines racing through the depths in pursuit of the Meg, there are actually a few genuine thrills to be had as well. The Meg uses the vast expanse of the ocean to its advantage, and I admit to finding myself on the edge of my seat in scenes where Statham and the rest of the cast found themselves adrift in the open ocean at the megalodon’s mercy. It is also worth noting that for a CGI-filled blockbuster extravaganza, the computer-generated graphics are pretty decent; certainly some of the best for a recent shark movie.

As other reviewers have pointed out, if you are looking to find fault in The Meg it is there. But if you are willing to simply check your brain at the door and appreciate the film for the fun B-movie that it is, then you will be in for a good time. The Meg may not rival Jaws for its spot on the food chain, but then again, it probably never swam out of the depths to do so.