The Meg (12a)
Director: Jon Turteltaub.
Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Rating: 2/5 fair passes the time
Synopsis
During a deep water rescue mission, expert Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is forced to leave behind two of his crew when the submarine they are in is attacked by a mighty unseen creature. Jonas is convinced it is a giant Megalodon shark, a relic of prehistory, thought to have been extinct for more than 2 million years, a belief that lends others to think he's crazy and they blame him for the loss of lives.
Years later, a scientific research station penetrates deeper into the ocean than other explorers, uncovering a hidden world of strange creatures. Down there, is the Magalodon Jonas encountered years before and it attacks a mini-sub captained by his ex-wife.
Brought out of retirement by the lead scientist at the station, Jonas again rescues people from the jaws of death. But the Kraken is now awake and it follows them to the surface. Jonas and the crew know they must destroy the creature as it heads toward a heavily populated beach in China.
Review by Jason Day (@Reelreviewer)
More 'Jurassic Jaws' than 'Jurassic Shark' - those familiar with Steven Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster will spot the references in this 'big bad fish' saga.
These rather obvious in-jokes include a demonstrative child who begs his mother to let him take an inflatable out into the sea and a water-loving pooch called Pippin. (There's even a hashtag with a Yorkshire Terrier emoji you can use on social media for this: #SavePippin).
The production of Jaws has entered movie legend for the unpredictability of the three mechanical sharks, collectively known as Bruce, that stalled filming. No such worries here: the CGI Megalodon is brilliantly realised and is used to effect in some scary sequences.
A shame that more isn't made of these moments that appear derivative and lack sufficient bite.
Same too, for the cast. Jason Statham grunts in the monosyllabic manner we've come to expect from him, furrows his brow on cue and looks incredible when wearing only a towel.
Rainn Wilson as the rat-fink billionaire who uses the word lawsuits before casualties is the best performance from a relatively unknown, B-List sounding cast performing in an A-grade budgeted movie.
For more, read the full review: http://bit.ly/themegfilm
Cast & credits
1hr 53 mins (113mins). Apelles Entertainment/Di Bonaventura Pictures/Flagship Entertainment Group/Gravity Pictures/Maeday Productions. (12a)
Producers:Belle Avery, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Colin Wilson.
Writers:Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber.
Camera:Tom Stern.
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams.
Sets:Grant Major.
Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson, Cliff Curtis, Winston Chao, Shuya Sophia Cai, Ruby Rose, Page Kennedy, Robert Taylor, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Jessica McNamee.
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