Opinion
Film review: The Meg is a forgettable and dull science fiction horror
Lil Bingbing as Suyin and Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor. Picture :PA PHOTO/WARNER BROS PICTURES/DANIEL SMITH
Sharks have long proved to be particularly popular, non-human threats in many an ocean or island bound adventure.
They terrorised Chief Brody and the inhabitants of Amity Island in Jaws (1975), menaced Thomas Jane and Saffron Burrows in Deep Blue Sea (1999), bored audiences into a deep slumber in the Sharknado franchise (2013-present) and now, with Jon Turteltaub’s latest feature, they arrive in the waters of Shanghai to chomp on Jason Statham and a bored-looking supporting cast.
Largely set in underwater research facility Mana One, the film sees a group of scientists accidentally awaken the vast titular prehistoric predator. Thus begins a race against time to stop it from eating everyone in its path.
Despite its promising premise, The Meg is sadly not the gore-splashing, enjoyably ludicrous, tongue-in-cheek affair some may have been hoping for.
Turteltaub instead offers us a series of boring, thinly-written expositional scenes and a number of largely uninventive set-pieces – mostly involving various cast members looking unconvincingly scared and fleeing the poorly computer rendered antagonist - that have neither the gut-wrenching terror nor emotional impact a film like this needs in order for it to work.
You may also want to watch:
That said, it is hard not to smile at billionaire Jack Morris’ (Rainn Wilson) farcical attempt to fell the shark going disastrously wrong or at the sight of rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Statham) facing down his aquatic adversary in the over-cranked climax. But these are small, glimmering highlights in an otherwise forgettable and dull science fiction horror.
Most Read
- 1 Judge heading to Ipswich exit as contract clause could end Irishman's Portman Road stay
- 2 Rise in number of Covid patients in Suffolk and north Essex hospitals
- 3 Ipswich Town owner Johnson close to adding another club to his portfolio
- 4 Names of couple found dead in Woodbridge confirmed
- 5 'I will be like Demolition Man... there will be a lot of pain' - Cook on his Town squad overhaul
- 6 Peter Andre visits Ipswich for post-lockdown haircut
- 7 All 24 League One home kits ranked from worst to first
- 8 Suffolk police teams to star in new documentary series on Dave
- 9 Goalkeeping coach Walker leaves Town as Cook bids to 'freshen things up'
- 10 Driver flees after crashing into level crossing