The Meg Review

 

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 113 minutes 

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub

What’s it about: The members of a marine research team, who are carrying out a deep sea project, have a massive problem on their hands when a giant prehistoric shark begins terrorising them.

The verdict: I was terrified of Jaws as a child, so much so that I haven’t been able to watch it for over twenty years. With that in mind, I wondered if The Meg, albeit being a CGI blockbuster, could have the same effect for a whole new generation. After seeing it, I feel that I can safely say that this will not be the case. Let’s just get this out of the way and say that The Meg is a pretty bad film.

The characters are one dimensional stereotypes and typecast. The dialogue is cheesy, and the plot is highly predictable and obvious. I saw the so-called twist coming a mile off, which may or may not have been the point. But intelligent, this film is not. But most disappointingly was the lack of peril. Without giving too much away, I think one of the greatest and scariest things about Jaws was that everyone was too afraid to go into the water, both in the film and for the audience after watching it. The Meg lacks that feeling of menace and nail biting tension. A lot of this may be due to the shark being so incredibly CGI-ed. Although the CGI means that the shark can be of gargantuan proportions, I think it takes away from the feeling of realism which is what you need in certain monster films. At this point in the review, I think that some people may be thinking that this film isn’t meant to be clever. However I would disagree on that. Just because The Meg is a Jason Statham shark fighting blockbuster, it doesn’t mean that  it can’t be well-written and atmospheric.

However with all that being said, and although I was well aware of the film’s flaws as I watched it, I surprisingly did enjoy the film. In the moment, as you watch it, it is an entertaining film. It is the sort of film that you would watch on a Saturday night and would probably really enjoy. It’s an easy watch, and you don’t need to overly concentrate. And it’s a fun film to watch with company, you could definitely quote some of the cheesy lines afterwards.

Overall, The Meg is a massively flawed and silly blockbuster but if you do decide to watch it then it will more than likely amuse and entertain you for a few hours.

Should you watch this film? No. Although it could be argued that The Meg would be best watched on a big cinema screen, I think that you can save your money on this one and wait for the DVD.