Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

"Meg 2: The Trench" stars Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, and Cliff Curtis. Released on August 4, 2023, the film has Jonas Taylor encountering the return of the dangerous Megalodon.

The film is directed by Ben Wheatley, who also directed films such as "Down Terrace", "Kill List", "Free Fire", "Rebecca", and "In the Earth". It is based on the 1999 novel The Trench by Steve Alten. It is also the sequel to the 2018 film, "The Meg". It's fun to hang out at the beach and soak up the sun during the hot summer days. But if there's one thing we learned from watching shark movies, it's that the beach isn't always the safe place to go during the season. Since the release of Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" in 1975, we've had a constant phobia of going into the water, fearing a shark might be nearby waiting for its unsuspecting snack. It doesn't help that Hollywood keeps providing countless shark movies to remind us of that fear. That includes the 2018 surprise hit, "The Meg", which involved Jason Statham fighting the biggest shark in history, the Megalodon. Despite that film's mixed reception, it was financially successful enough to spawn a sequel, meaning we're getting another round of shark madness, whether we like it or not. But this time, the other prehistoric sea predators accompany the Megalodon for even more chaos above the sea. Does the follow-up have enough bite to justify its existence and provide late-summer popcorn fun? Let's head out to sea and find out.

Taking place four years after the first film, the story centers on rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Statham), who returns to the sea for another mission. He and Jiuming (Jing) are tasked to lead a research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean known as the Trench. Their expedition leads them to discover that the dangerous prehistoric creatures, including the megalodons, have existed in the Trench for centuries. Unfortunately, their exploration turns into a fight for survival when a mining operation causes the "Megs" and the other creatures to be set loose on the world. Jonas and his crew must brave the dangerous waters once more to save everyone from becoming the Megalodon's all-you-can-eat buffet. 

Many shark movies in the current generation tried and failed to live up to the Steven Spielberg classic that started the terrifying trend. However, a few of them managed to be enjoyable snacks despite their flaws, with 2018's "The Meg" being an example. If you read my review of "The Meg", you'd know I surprisingly enjoyed the film for being a fun, corny B-movie experience. Despite the flaws in its tone and screenplay, it was entertaining and intense enough to keep itself from being as stinky as a pile of chum. So it's no surprise that that's what I'm expecting from "Meg 2": a dumb and corny yet fun ride consisting of Jason Statham battling prehistoric sea creatures. There's nothing more you could want out of it besides that. Well, except for it to be good. That's one other thing you could want from a summer blockbuster. Unfortunately for me, this latest addition to Hollywood's sequel train isn't satisfying enough to fill our appetite regarding those things.

"Meg 2" offers precisely what to expect for those who watched its predecessor, and that's Jason Statham protecting people, including his comrades, from vicious "Megs" and other prehistoric sea creatures. If that's not enough, it even has a corrupt mining operations team for him to fight as a bonus or feed them to the beasts, whichever works. So clearly, what you get from "Meg 2" is a carbon copy of every action film we've seen dozens of times, but with giant sharks. It's not without a few amusing moments regarding the action scenes and the cast. Sadly, none of them can compare to the ones from its predecessor regarding its ideas, resulting in a heavily cliched and unfulfilling plate of rancid cinematic chum.

Regarding Ben Wheatley's filmography, the only film I've seen from the filmmaker was "Free Fire" in 2016. I remembered thinking that that movie was okay, even though it wasn't a classic like the other great ones he helmed. So "Meg 2" is my second exposure to Wheatley as a director, and I have to say that it makes me want to check out the rest of his films I've missed out on. This film beats "Free Fire" as Wheatley's biggest misfire in his directorial career regarding his direction. Like its predecessor, "Meg 2" still has trouble maintaining the tone it was going for. It had a few ridiculous elements like the characters' exoskeleton suits strong enough to crush stones and "The Trench". However, they're bogged down by its need to be a serious action horror movie, leaving its silliness surprisingly underwhelming and mediocre. Even when it does get serious involving the characters, it left me with an upset stomach on how they're handled. It's a tonal clash that only splashes around like a helpless victim on the water instead of swimming gracefully.

"The Meg" had problems with the storytelling and tone, but at least it knew to embrace its B-movie essence amid its narrative and tension. Regardless of how we feel about the first film's director, Jon Turteltaub, some of us can admit that he worked around those flaws better than Wheatley delivered in "Meg 2". "The Meg" is an enjoyable B-movie schlock with a higher budget and suitable scares, while "Meg 2" is just…well, a schlock with a higher budget and decent frights. Yes, you read that right. "Meg 2" has the same amount of scares as its predecessor since it is part horror. Unfortunately, the tension that made "The Meg" a frighteningly good time was lost in the sequel's depths. There's also the movie's editing, which looked periodically choppy. It looks like it was heavily altered to fit the teen rating standard instead of taking the bold approach with its R rating. Honestly, it would've been a bit better if it was rated R instead of PG-13, but what can you do? 

As mentioned before, the film's screenplay was admittedly a mishmash of narrative cliches that were done in other movies, but they did not work as well here as they did in those films. You have an evil mining operation damaging the environment, a monster terrorizing and killing people, and a father/daughter relationship between Jonas and his stepdaughter Meiying (Cai). It also has a similar sequence to the first film, where the megalodons devour people at a crowded beach. The movie attempted to juggle every piece of cliche with multiple sharks and some absurd ideas but ended up fumbling them almost every time. Because of this, it resulted in its thrills being surprisingly tame. Even worse is that it suffered from one-dimensional antagonists and a predictable twist involving one of Jonas's crew members that I saw coming a mile away. It's a lackluster and derivative script filled with elements that were appropriately executed in other films, especially ones with sharks that eat people. 

While it has the same flaws as its predecessors, but worse, "Meg 2" retains a couple of elements that made "The Meg" a splash. One of them is the actors, who did enough with their performances to keep me entertained. Unsurprisingly, Jason Statham was a delight to watch, as he once again serves as the glue that barely holds this ship together. Yes, he plays Jonas Taylor like he portrays any other character in an action movie, but isn't that why we love him as an action star? His action scenes were enjoyable despite the editing, and his charisma is just as charming as I'd expect from him. Wu Jing also has a couple of amusing moments as Jiuming to serve as a replacement for Li Bingbing from its predecessor. Sophia Cai reprised her role as Meiying Zhang, and I thought she did all right. It's not extraordinary, but tolerable nonetheless. There's also Page Kennedy returning as DJ, but sadly, his comedic chops in "Meg 2" fell flat compared to his humor in the first film.

Another element was the movie's visuals. While some CGI effects aren't as convincing as others, they leave an impressive bite regarding the designs for the megalodons and the prehistoric monsters. Even better, the visuals and backgrounds were nicely finalized in the 3D format. Yes, I did see this movie in 3D, which has been a while since I've seen something in the third dimension. The film had a couple of 3D sequences that were worth the extra three dollars, including the beginning and the Trench sequence. Was it as revolutionary as the "Avatar" movies? No, but it did showcase how to use the third dimension as an immersive experience instead of a pointless gimmick.

Overall, "Meg 2: The Trench" is a pile of rotten sequel chum that'll leave non-fans of its predecessor and casual moviegoers with an upset stomach. What seemed to be another cheesy fun ride through dangerous waters is actually a pointless and unfulfilling follow-up that lacks the first film's B-movie charm. It's got a few mildly amusing moments that'll entertain several people who enjoyed "The Meg", including Jason Statham and the visual effects. However, they're not enough to escape from the bottom of the food chain due to the film's heavily cliched script, uneven tone, underwhelming direction, and choppy editing. It's safe to say that staying away from these waters is the right idea.  ​

D+