The Meg

2018 • 113 minutes
4.1
221 reviews
47%
Tomatometer
PG-13
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

A deep-sea submersible filled with an international research crew lies disabled at the bottom of the Pacific after having been attacked by a massive shark previously thought to be extinct. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao) to save the crew—and the ocean itself—from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one could have imagined is that years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now he must risk his own life to save everyone trapped below...bringing him face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all time!
Rating
PG-13

Ratings and reviews

4.1
221 reviews
Kyle Vansteelandt
October 6, 2021
There have been lots of horrific creature features about sharks that are wrong in terms of accuracy and entertainment value, including The Shallows and even Jaws. None of them are just good, even though Jaws and the shallows have higher quality. Until this beast of a shark movie cruised into my life, The Meg! Starting off my thoughts, the concept for this shark movie is a lot more authentic and maybe even original, because the megalodon is a true monster shark that people should be afraid of, VERY afraid. At 60 feet long, and weighing 60 tons heavy, the omnipotent megalodon was the largest shark that has ever lived, she is also the most feared apex predator that has terrorized the prehistoric seas 20 million years ago with unsurpassed power and zero opponents. With a bite force of 40,000 psi, the megalodon has the strongest bite force of any creature in the history of planet earth. So this film gave us the opportunity to imagine what would happen if we humans and the megalodon coexist. This kind of concept is what makes this film so imaginative. What about the characters? All of the characters are amusing, but they also have realistic characterizations and the acting from the cast is top-notch; they have provided credibility and gives the movie a lot of heart. Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is an interesting protagonist; he is a brazen deep sea diver who has the capacity to save lives and he keeps his promise. Suyin (Li Bingbing) is a confident researcher in marine biology who is trying to make her father proud, and she is a protective mother who loves her daughter named Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai). Meiying is a cute yet brave and smart young girl who delivers great charm. Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson) is a quirky and amusing billionaire. I think DJ (Page Kennedy) is hilarious, but it is true that he is a great member of the team as he cannot live without getting the job done. Although I loved "The Meg," I would not call it a masterpiece, because it does seem to tread into familiar ground; there are some elements that reminded me of the scenes from Jaws, however, it avoids being a complete rip-off as it tells the story with such a variety of new different ideas, and it improves the jaws storyline because it is fully aware of the stereotypical reception towards real sharks which I appreciate as an animal lover and expert. The Movie has a sharp and strong bite for it's execution; the action hits like a ton of bricks with it's close-calls alongside some of it's impactful shock factor that strikes a breathtaking blend of action, humor, and horror due to the meg's awe-inspiring presence with her massive size, fearsome appearance, and ferocious temperament. The CGI special effects are impressive, including the megalodon. As for the direction, I love what Jon Turteltaub was going for in terms of how each element was framed, lit, and cut together. The tone is very well utilized and edited for it's genre, it's size and it's mood, and there are some moments of tight effective suspense. There's even some unintentional humor from the performances, and even some of the writing for the lines and the script. Most of the humor is witty. Visually, it's a spectacular thrill ride with memorable cinematography and imagery. The full-bodied and engaging score by Harry Gregson Williams oozes poignant power, and also has music themes for each element including a dangerous melody for the megalodon without using the suspenseful plagiarism of jaws. In conclusion: "The Meg" is probably the only shark movie that satisfied me; it is a monster movie about a shark that has been done right; even though the movie itself is unoriginal, the idea of using the mighty megalodon as it's main antagonist is original and more accurate. Not to mention that this film is a riveting, exciting, and hilarious creature feature that embraces the old-fashioned tradition of other B-movies and improves the "killer shark" concept. Highly Recommended! 4.5/5
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Diana Prince
November 12, 2020
I rate this movie 5 stars, and deeply appreciate being able to spend 113 beautiful minutes with the one and only Ruby Rose. This Strong Female Lead, "I like to reference her as," plays Jaxx Herd, Station Creator. Ruby Rose is strong, yet vulnerable, curved and angled with just the right sprinkle of nature's gender fluidly perfect beauty, and I love her to pieces. Her full lips, dark hair and eyes any living human being would get absolutely lost in, are a joy and a pleasure..Oh yeah..movie good.
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Tim Drake
August 23, 2021
Honestly, if you aren't a shark movie fan stay away. I've read the books by Steve Alten and yes this may stray from the first book, what they did was add their own to the story and made it a tense suspenseful wild ride! If you like shark movies of any kind give yourself a chance and buy this movie, you won't regret it. Also if you thought it was decent, or liked any aspect of the film I would highly recommend picking up the books. They are amazing! Anything by Steve Alten is good b
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