I felt honoured to receive tickets to this advance screening, how often do I get the chance to see and review a blockbuster Megalodon film? Sharks have played a big part in cinema over the years, especially the man versus shark notion that is a major focus of The Meg. We have the greats like Jaws and the crazy ones like Sharknado, The Meg seems to want to be somewhere in-between.
That is one of the reasons I was so excited to have attended the advanced screening. I could never have refused the chance to see Jason Statham take on a giant shark. Before I get into the film itself, I thought it would be worth sharing some interesting facts about this movie and its monster.
The Megalodon seen in The Meg is about 75 feet long – four times larger than a great white shark.
Each Megalodon tooth is the size of an average human hand, with the largest Megalodon tooth on record measuring eight inches long.
Megalodons were thought to have become extinct about two million years ago.
This begins to give an understanding of the kind of threat Jason is up against. These facts alone should excite you enough to see this movie. Ever since this was announced I was so curious as to how it would play out.
The Meg is Directed by Jon Turteltaub with a cast consisting of Jason Statham (Jonas Taylor), Bingbing Li (Suyin), Ruby Rose (Jaxx), Rainn Wilson (Morris) and many more.
The synopsis reads as follows ‘A massive creature attacks a deep-sea submersible, leaving it disabled and trapping the crew at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. With time running out, rescue diver Jonas Taylor must save the crew and the ocean itself from an unimaginable threat — a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark known as the Megalodon.’
The first point I must address before anything else is how come the one day they host an outside screening, it decides to rain. I mean not even just a slight shower, it was a torrential downpour. The weather has been unbearably hot the last few weeks, yet today it turned on us. Luckily we were given ponchos in preparation. That’s my little rant over. Well, not completely but I endured the rain just for you, the person reading this right now.
I absolutely loved the setup of this event, it is such a unique and memorable one. There is just something great about watching a shark movie outside next to a pool. The ponchos went on just as the film started, this is the true viewing experience. Getting absolutely drenched while watching The Meg. Everyone else at the screening was also wet because of the rain and possibly the fact that Jason does get topless at one point. The vibe of the screening was golden, the crowd cheered every brilliant moment of this film, it also proves that we cannot be stopped by rain.
My only major grievance with this movie was that it took a little while to get into what we all came to see. Luckily the cast is very entertaining, they made the wait bearable. I don’t think it was helped by the fact I was getting drenched, I just wanted to see the Megalodon so badly. The positive to take from this is that I was willing to sit through the rain to watch it. If I am willing to do that then this movie must be one that is worth seeing.
I always love scenes when they pair Jason Statham with a child, it always ends up being adorable. Sophia Cai was very cute in her scenes with him. I am not the biggest fan of Jason but this film did warm me to him a little more. I even found myself swooning at the moments Jason and Bingbing Li shared together.
The Meg itself is fierce. Terrifying as you’d expect a humongous killer shark to be. Once it gets into it more, it gets absurd but in the best of ways. I watched as Jason harpooned the Megalodon and then attempt to out swim this beast. The shark leaping out and just missing a huge bite on him. That is all I ever wanted and I never even realised until that very moment.
Another scene that was wonderful was seeing Rainn Wilson shout ‘hell yeah’ as Jason jumps into Megalodon infested water. It pretty much sums this movie up and I could not have been happier at that moment in time. That is another top moment of cinema from this year for me.
It’s full of cliches, homages, hilarious moments, savage moments. Everything you’d want in a man vs Megalodon movie. It is a unique blend of action and insanity. Some of the lines are just hilarious even when they aren’t meant to be. It has got all the traits of a ridiculous monster movie, yet so much more charm that makes it worthwhile.
If you aren’t willing to let loose and go with everything that unfolds, it won’t be an easy watch. I can not wait to see it again as I am sure in the cinema I will appreciate it even more. This was an experience I’ll always remember and I can’t thank the people who gave me this opportunity enough.
This movie is exactly what you’d expect it to be. The cast is charming and it is ridiculous yet so enjoyable. Everything that happens is madness but the kind of madness that is worth seeing. The Meg is a switch off and just enjoy the giant killer shark movie that we needed this summer.
My final point is that this better spawn a sequel or at least more Jason vs whatever insane creature we can come up with next. That is a series of films I would love to own.
The Meg is released in cinemas Friday 10th August
Check out the trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsLk0NPRFAc
#TheMeg
