Meg 2: The Trench
Updated: Oct 11, 2023
By Jay Li Sept. 28, 2023
Diving into “Meg 2: The Trench,” I expected a megalodon-fueled spectacle of action and gore. Unfortunately, what washed ashore was a dull, tedious chore of a plot prioritizing haphazard environmentalist themes and bland, one-dimensional characters over its giant aquatic creature feature appeal.
The film opens with an exploration of the Mariana Trench, home of many dangerous sea creatures—including the infamous megalodon. There, the team discovers a secret mining operation that has been damaging the sea floor, and eventually finds the villainous organization behind it. So begins the movie’s unsubtle environmentalist preaching, which detracts from the main story and is even ultimately discarded.
“Meg 2” also fails its attempt to prop up the protagonist, Jason Statham’s Jonas Taylor, as a father figure to his adopted daughter Meiying—there is not enough time spent on character development for the audience to appreciate the characters or their relationships. In fact, no characters except Taylor add memorable moments, distinctive personalities or contributions to the storyline.
When the cast resurfaces from the Trench, a menagerie of bloodthirsty monsters are hot on their trail—which hinted to the bombastic action sequences I had been anticipating. But to my dismay, what followed was an uninteresting subplot involving the mining organization. For a film advertising itself to be a megalodon creature feature, there is a noticeable lack of megalodon appearances.
However, once the film crosses the one-hour mark, intricate special effects and creative action direction take command over the lackluster story: “Meg 2” features brutal carnage on a scale bigger and better than the original. I watched this movie through the end solely for the unapologetically ridiculous action sequences in the final act; I wish it had indulged in more of these exhilarating shark mayhem moments.
If you are searching for an action-packed shark movie, I would suggest disregarding “Meg 2” and instead opting for the unintentionally hilarious cinematic masterpiece that is the “Sharknado” franchise.
About the contributors
Jay Li
staff writer
Jay Li is a junior at Leland High school and the Opinions Page Editor for the Charger Account. During his free time, he enjoys playing game pigeon and hanging out with his friends and family.
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