Meg 2: The Trench

Until you look into the dark with a flashlight and walk on the ocean floor, I remembered the recent and forgotten Underwater and wondered why it does not add to the number of attractions and exaggeration. And then Jason Statham activates his cheats and brings an even bigger fireworks display than I dared to hope for. The confessed loving approach to B-movies, which drives the main character to Superman-like abilities, may not be possible to overcome, and trying to do so on a similar scale may also be a bit of a shame. (2023-08-13)

"It's a meg, and you're a snack!" Nope. The introduction might suggest that this monstrous creature was at the top of the food chain in the Jurassic period, but now, in the Statham era, it's just "under pressure." That is, if it even gets to speak at all. Thanks to Cliff Curtis's character for adding some humor; otherwise, it's a disgustingly digital carcass full of inserted Chinese figures, devoid of blood, and mostly as dumb as a village idiot's child and a member of parliament. I'm megproof; Ben Wheatley wrote himself into the Kill List. (2023-10-09)

I laughed till my stomach was in knots. Right at the beginning, I realized I didn't remember a thing from the first part. Well, maybe Jason Statham was singing that happy song... So I was surprised to see something being mined in some kind of thermal fissure... a trench that's home to giant squid and bloodthirsty... iguanas? A good half of the film consists of goofing around under pressure (Statham just needs to breathe properly and he won't implode!) and bantering with Jacky Woo for the delight of the Chinese audience. Then the final romp on Fun Island is thoroughbred bloody fun. Statham harpooning a helicopter rotor blade takes on an almost Conan-like mythos. He announces something about dolphins, the credits, the song. Good for me. (2024-02-22)

Jason Statham takes on the ruler of the primordial oceans for the second time. And although Meg 2 is more B-ish and less serious than the first, it's unfortunately not much better. The main problem lies in trying to cram in as many themes, ideas, digressions and horseshit that go nowhere, resulting in a film that is cluttered and at times almost tiresome. And the decent finale is spoiled by childish humour. Even in the context of summer crap, the second Meg is mediocre at best. (2023-08-03)

Unlike the first one, I had fun, unexpectedly a lot. And that's definitely a plus for a film whose premise nobody could possibly take seriously. Meg 2, thanks to its B-movie sincerity, from my point of view trumped, for example, the second and third Jurassic World, and most of all it reminded me of Emmerich's Godzilla. No matter what happens, you know it's going to turn out well, and if the director is smart, he can surprise you a few times; he can afford to make references to Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Indiana Jones, and offer some really cool moments, like the one with the camera inside the big shark's mouth. (2023-08-31)