Meg 2: The Trench

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Meg 2: The Trench is the sequel to The Meg (2018) and follows Jonas Taylor and his crew as they continue to further explore the underwater layer in which creatures such as the megalodon reside. This feature did a great job in the first half at building tension, especially once the action has moved deep under the water. Suddenly the threat factor feels very real and though there aren't a lot of major scares, there are some very tense moments to anticipate.

The special effects in this sequel aren't always the best but broadly across the entire feature I would describe them as a highlight. The design of the megalodons was truly formidable and I was really impressed with what they managed to achieve in showing us the perspective of the ocean floor.

 

Wu Jing, who played Jiuming Zhang, is one of the more charismatic performers in the feature; I greatly enjoyed that Jing could switch between capable action hero and goofy uncle at the drop of a hat. Cliff Curtis, who played Mac, isn't giving his biggest performance to date here but he is clearly one of the more capable in the ensemble; I genuinely like Curtis and Statham as buddies quite a bit and found some nice chemistry there.

However, the best performance came from Jason Statham, who played Jonas Taylor. Statham has been leading action films for a long time now and there's no Rainn Wilson chewing scenery to compete this time. Statham starts this film reminding us why he's one of the quintessential action heroes, violently working his way through a group of chemical dumping brigands right out the gate. But I also like that he playfully knows his own limits and really embraces the stoic tough guy thing. Watching him ham his awkward chops in a big light-hearted comedy moment or struggle to express his love to his adopted daughter is pretty nice. Yet once this film really ramps into action overdrive, Statham just has the physicality and menace to make himself stand out, not to mention the egregious shark-based quips.

When The Meg came out there was a major element of us responding to it because it was so over the top and fun; heck the feature hinged entirely on the plot twist being that there was a second Meg. But this film really takes itself a little too seriously from the jump, providing a corporate-heavy setting and introducing a theme on man's impact to the environment that really signalled this film was not going to be about the monolithic sharks we had all come to see. Opting to craft a film around a greedy mining corporation with a band of mercenaries trying to exploit the Trench felt like a moment where the creativity left the room. The feature which was meant to highlight a creature antagonist suddenly took a backseat to a very basic environmental care message. This made the final act in which all the creatures attacked the humans feel very separate to the narrative we had otherwise been watching up until that point. This film really decided it was going to be anything but a Megalodon film and that took a massive amount of interest out of it. I also thought the dedication to exploring characters was completely abandoned, I was under no illusions who was fodder in this one.

The film wasn't very well shot with a range of camera techniques utilised that showcased an inconsistent sense of style. More than this I often found a number of shots were just placed to fill the needs of the visual effect, limiting this feature substantially. The score for Meg 2 is nothing but loud fanfare to ignite some spectacle; while the soundtrack is really all over the place and rarely adds to a scene.

Shuya Sophia Cai, who played Meiying, is one of the biggest members of the cast and really struggles with that load; her chemistry with her parental figures is absent and her delivery never felt particularly compelling. Page Kennedy, who played DJ, didn't know how to do anything but act over the top in this film; Kennedy just played a role that was there to force the comedic side character angle. Sergio Peris-Mencheta, who played Montes, was a very bizarre antagonist; Peris-Mencheta understood that he was there to portray a bad goon but really just came at this jigsaw of a role in such a confusing manner. Skyler Samuels, who played Jess, is one of the more obvious antagonist reveals in the feature; Samuels is more than happy to lay it on pretty thick once she finally gets to play bad. Melissanthi Mahut, Whoopie Van Ram, Kiran Sonia Sawar and Felix Mayr, who played Rigas, Curtis, Sal and Lance respectively, were one of the more forgettable action side ensemble I've seen this year; I was particularly disappointed Mahut didn't make use of her larger screen time to actually define her character a bit. Sienna Guillory, who played Driscoll, was the most stereotypical antagonist portrayal; ultra rich billionaire who could not physically fend for herself without her mercenaries felt very played out.

At least The Meg knew how to have fun, this film is another action blockbuster that takes itself far too seriously for the sheer absurdity going on. I would give Meg 2: The Trench a 3.5/10.