When a group of scientists (who apparently didn’t learn from the first film) travel down into the dark depths of the Marianas Trench, all hell breaks loose, threatening to end their exploration and their lives. Once again Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) finds himself part of this journey, tasked with saving the lives of many. This time, in Meg 2: The Trench, it’s different, as new species threaten humanity, and it’s unlikely that the human race survives.
Meg 2: The Trench is simply a combination of Jaws and Jurassic Park, two massively successful franchises that play on similar, but unique ideas. This film wants to be both, but I’m not sure that the world needs them to be smushed together into one film, and Meg 2: The Trench is sort of a silly rendition of each as a result.
With that being said, however, I actually think Meg 2: The Trench is better than its predecessor, which was a jumbled mess of incompetent comedy and failed drama, and it sort of finds its way before it’s too late. The story isn’t any better; in actuality it might be worse–but Meg 2: The Trench isn’t really about the story, it’s more about the characters. We get to see Jonas develop in new ways, the returning DJ (Page Kennedy) and Mac (Cliff Curtis) are better than before (in most cases), and some of the new characters actually play a role in the film that doesn’t seem entirely pointless. Some of the character development from the beginning to the end of the film is actually quite bad, but I’m glad these characters finally meant something. In The Meg I couldn’t have cared less who lived and died (for the most part), but I became attached to many of them throughout the course of Meg 2: The Trench, and that’s a massive win for Writers Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, and Dean Georgaris.
I have to complain a bit about what Meg 2: The Trench does with Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai). Sure, she develops like the other characters, but she went from the little girl who heard everything and provided the film a bit of emotional gusto to the one that is ultimately a detriment to all of the other characters. She’s been turned into a teenaged pain in the ass, and I can’t have been more disappointed with what they did to her.
One of my biggest issues with The Meg was the fact that action star Jason Statham wasn’t afforded the opportunity to showcase his skills. The thing that the world had fallen in love with was effectively absent from the first film; they make sure not to make the same mistake twice. Within the first five minutes of Meg 2: The Trench Statham is seen in action, and he’s given many opportunities to take part in the action throughout the course of the film. Is this integral to the film? No, but the story isn’t great anyway. I effectively just want to see a ton of action, hear some moderately funny jokes, and if the characters develop in an appealing way, that’s just a bonus. Meg 2: The Trench gives viewers what they want (and a little bit more).
Meg 2: The Trench was surprisingly good compared to what came before. Sure, it does some cheesy, campy things throughout its entirety, but I didn’t expect anything else. The story remains a tad boring but the characters now play an integral role, and the action that didn’t exist before is now riveting. Meg 2: The Trench is far from a must-see, but I was ultimately impressed.
Directed by Ben Wheatley.
Written by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Dean Georgaris, & Steve Alten.
Starring Jason Statham, Jing Wu, Shuya Sophia Cai, Cliff Curtis, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, Melissanthi Mahut, etc. Sienna Guillory, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
Comments