Meg 2: The Trench
This high tech mano a mega is better than I expected but not as good as the first one. Though, when it comes down to it the films are very different, like Alien to Aliens, which have the same main character and antagonist but are totally different. I do love the tag line on the poster “New Meg. Old Chum.” Chum, of course, is the bloody chunks of meat thrown into the water to attract sharks. Typically, the chum is meat that from an animal that has been killed, but here of course it’s tourists and unwary scientists.
The music is very traditional action adventure stuff, unremarkable but effective. It’s as pretty as the first film, shot not so much on the water but in a studio serving as The Trench. The actual trench is not accessible to humans or even robots capable of very deep sea diving, though science gets us closer every year, but who cares in a science fiction action film. The 3D effects were okay but not quite as good as the original The Meg. It’s used to good comedic effect a few times, but never made the audience jump as top class 3D should do. In a film with very little comedy this becomes a fairly important thing.
Plenty of nerd action rests on the shoulder of the remaining nerd DJ (Page Kennedy), who has learned to swim since the last film and also become a kung fu master. All the characters display an unnerving amount of Bruce Lee energy, which is a little off putting but kinda funny. Shuya Sophia Cai reprises her role as cute kid Meiying, only now she’s a teenager. *shiver* You will be pleased to know Pippin the mega mocking dog has an even bigger role this time around. A surprising number of actors did not come back for the sequel, one of which made me sad. I really liked that character. Jason Statham, my biggest man crush, continues his new era of keeping his shirt on. Bummer.
One of the things I liked about the first movie is having Asian characters using their native language when speaking to each other, which lends a large amount of reality to the story. I really appreciated that, as it elevates the Asian characters to a more equal status, even if it makes illiterate Americans read words at the movies. That alone gave it an extra star from me.
Is this a really short review? Why, yes it is. I only had a White Castle receipt to write on and a borrowed pen (thanks, AMC guys!), but I think I covered all the pertinent parts. This sequel is not quite as good as the first, but it’s different enough that you should check it out. It’s mindless fun with characters you can root for even if they’re a little different than the first film. Watch them back to back when this sequel is available.
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CFR: In Addition
LOLOLOL! ROFLOLOLOL combined with I am afraid of sharks and you know exactly how I feel about this movie. Haven’t seen it yet. However one day I will have Mildred over and we shall watch The Meg. Might even watch this one. And I will stick to showers for a month.
Oh yeah, I saw Jaws.
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