The Meg (2018) – Film Review
Okay… Right out the gate, big Steve Alten fan, here. Never read the Meg series—heard it gets kind of ridiculous, the further in it goes (Megalodons in SeaWorld, militarizing giant sharks, et cetera), but I may check out the first book. After all, it is what launched him into familiarity among book nerds and shark enthusiasts like myself, alike.
I did my research, though—didn’t want to step aboard this hype-train completely blind—and I can say that this is…exactly what I could’ve wanted in a page-to-screen of Alten: Ridiculous, yes, but wildly-entertaining and enthusiastic in its presentation.
Let’s dive in…
This is very much Jaws, as was the original novel; “Hey, what if it’s Jaws, but, like, 20 times bigger?!” he says at the pitch meeting, so full of vigor that it makes both his agent and the publishing exec lean back in their seats. “…Sure,” the publisher replies, if a bit meekly, “but…make it cinematic, so that, one day, we can turn it into a 120-million dollar blockbuster that’ll shake the late-summer box office to its very core, and give theatre middle-management a rude, yet fulfilling, awakening, yea?” “Deal!” agrees the as-yet-nameless author, whom we’ll call Steven, as he shakes the publisher’s quivering hand. As the man exits the office with agent in-tow, I’d like to imagine the publisher thinking, What have I done…?
Optimistically? Hopefully paved the way for a spanning, page-to-screen universe in which many of Alten’s stories take place.
Yes, gang—The Meg actually is great fun; that same “we’re not taking this seriously, and neither should you”, middle-finger attitude that the trailers had is carried over into the final piece. Jason “No Filmography Necessary” Statham is exactly whom I pictured playing the man of action, Jonas Taylor. Soon as I heard about Meg getting a movie adaptation, having done my homework, I was like, “If they don’t cast Statham as Taylor, it’ll be a hard-sell, for me…”
Got my wish.
He’s great.
Actually believable, too.
But, every character contributes something, here; no one is sidelined (except Jessica McNamee as the ex-Mrs. Taylor, but more on that later…), but plays a part in the story, one way or another. I particularly enjoyed—and want more of, in the inevitable sequel to this late-summer cash cow—Ruby Rose (Orange Is the New Black, John Wick, Chapter 2) and other characters, particularly the Chinese leads, who I thought would be, primarily, tropes or caricatures. Nope…everyone down to the meta-fountain D.J. was loveable and deserving of respect as fleshed-out people with motivations and feelings of their own. Particularly, Sophia Cai as the little girl, Meiying—Li Bingbing’s daughter in the movie and her emotional focus—is great and no push-over; I see so much of Alten’s influence, here, and in her, especially. She elicited the most chuckles from the audience. I can only hope that he was on-set for a lot—if not all—of the shoot. Check out the IMDb page, though, and you’ll see how many great casting there are, here, that could very well carry over into a Meg–The Loch cross-over, in the future.
Sadly, no such thing is hinted at in any post-credits scene, but I can forgive that; we’ll definitely be getting a follow-up movie…
Cool action sequences—including a very satisfying showdown between Taylor and his bitey baddie—is definitely the cinematic ordeal that aforementioned publisher asked for. It films great, and, despite the CGI being a bit telling, at times—is great fun to watch. I didn’t come to see a masterpiece, though; I love sharks, and I wanted to see Man versus a really big one. I came to be entertained—and, during said showdown, especially, I definitely was, pumping my fists alongside fellow movie-goers and growling “yes”, clapping, whooping-and-hollering. We were involved in the piece, and that’s the best feeling in the world. Wasn’t a packed theatre, being a Monday, but it was a good, shared atmosphere to be in. Euphoric, almost.
Nods to Jaws (of course), Sharknado, Sharktopus, and Finding Nemo—believe it or not—abound. This is the perfect lead-up to Shark Week, later in the month. Harry Gregson Williams, whom scored everything from Shrek to X-Men Origins (gag) Wolverine, did great in composing the orchestral backdrops for this piece, and music is one of the most important things about a cinematic experience, besides there actually being something on-screen. Also, when we’re underwater, it’s pretty much silent, except for the atmospheric sounds of the sea, which is a great switch-up and very captivating.
Lots of graphic elements—severed body parts, blood wakes, and various things being eaten alive really push the boundaries of PG-13, but I’m totally fine with that. The MPAA is outdated, anyway. Good riddance, I say… I’m glad lines are being blurred—maybe we’re on our way to a reform of some kind with how distributed films are categorized.
Not too preachy with its more Alten-esque, Mother Earth messages, and a great piece of two-hour, bombastic escapism, The Meg surprised me. I’m glad my favorite author has finally had his foray onto the film stage, and hope to see many more. With content that ranges from Nessie to the Mayan Apocalypse, the black plague being re-released in modern Manhattan to a post-apocalypse wasteland akin to Dune, there’s plenty of ground Warner can cover…if an Altenverse is, as I hope, indeed under-development.
Final ‘Risk Assessment: *****/
Next review: Alpha (Aug. 17th)
