Meg 2: The Trench

The first “Meg,” with its story of a long-extinct predator reappearing to wreak havoc on scientists, was reminiscent of “Jurassic Park.” “Meg 2” takes the next natural step and borrows from “The Lost World.” Shark-hunting hero and ocean protector Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) now has a stepdaughter (Sophia Cai) to protect, while the catalog of prehistoric predators on the hunt has been expanded. rich to include some land dinosaurs and (why not?) a giant. Squid. Of course, any movie about sharks will inevitably be in the shadow of Jaws. Wheatley ends it with a fun nod to “Jaws 2.”

An exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean of a daring research team spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival.

But Meg 2, like the first film, maintained a box office-friendly PG-13 rating, so Wheatley was necessarily limited in the amount of carnage he was allowed to depict. However, it still finds creative ways to slaughter the villains and side characters that attack the same adjacent horror entertainment center. There is a photo taken from the shark’s mouth when it eats a human. I call that good staging.

It contains some humorous elements, but the humor seems more studio-based. “Meg 2” has a wittier, looser feel that fits the material better. The supporting cast – especially Page Kennedy and Cliff Curtis as scientists forced into the action – are given more freedom to act crazy and silly, while some scenes are funny with truly striking visual appeal (including a developing piece). which causes more and more of our heroes to wander into the same armed robbery). It must be said that no dogs were injured in this incident. There’s already enough crazy chaos elsewhere that adding more would be overkill.

Director fun is the prevailing sentiment here – which may explain why the film is often amusing and at times enjoyable. It has a light, irreverent tone that at times borders on parody, such as when a villain’s confident victory speech is interrupted by the appearance of a shark stepping out. from “Deep Blue Sea”, or when a cheery bright pink title card informs us that the populated area is about to be attacked by a trio of sharks called “Joyful Island”. How close is the film to being a full-fledged parody? At one point, Statham literally jumped a shark.