Runtime:
113 minutes
Directed
by: Jon Turteltaub
Starring:
Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Cliff Curtis
From:
Warner Bros.
This did not blow me away; then again my expectations were not super-high and I never thought this would be the next Jaws. At least I have something pretty interesting to discuss:
Or: When a blue collar family sitting in front of me probably influences my rating...
I saw the trailer for the movie often in the past few months, and back twenty years ago I read the book; then again, I barely remember anything about the book, so how it apparently has little to do with the novel is pretty irrelevant in this review. My expectations were not high, and it does not help that both director Jon Turteltaub and Statham himself said they were disappointed they couldn't make a gory R-rated splatterfest... I guess there's always Piranha 3D for such needs, but it'd be nice to have more of those.
Jason “It's a Megalodon” Statham is Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver who has to go and help save a submarine trapped in the newly discovered lowest point in the ocean, where the title creature resides. As I am sure everyone saw the trailer, The Meg escapes from there and causes havoc on a beach. As it is a co-Chinese production, no surprise some of the cast is that ethnicity, although at least there is some diversity all around.
The movie is quite silly, has some really dumb moments, the humor is hit or miss and it does not rise above popcorn entertainment. Yet as I did not have high expectations going in, I cannot get too mad. The very end, it has a joke that I am sure will sail over the head of the typical Joe Q. Public but all of us will get and you'll probably laugh. What does help in my rating is how the typical family sitting in front of me at the screening reacted.
They were a typical Joe Q. Public kind of clan, with middle aged parents and two kids (a boy and girl) that appeared to be early elementary school age. For the dad, his comments indicated this was his Infinity War; I'll surmise he remembers the novel much more clearly than me. Unfortunately I cannot say if it lived up to expectations for him as I did not hear them comment as we all left the auditorium. Considering this was viewed on an IMAX screen, this must not have been a cheap night for the family of four. They seemed nice so I'd feel like rubbish if they didn't. The girl did get scared a few times but she never cried or became hysterical, so it did not become an uncomfortable situation. The boy, a few times after a big scene, a soft yell of “yay!” was heard by myself; it was perfect that he was into this spectacle.
Most of us would have preferred a rated R spectacle for this shark film. After seeing how that familial unit reacted to The Meg, I suddenly can't get mad about it. Hopefully the fans of the book love it despite the loose adaptation and other families are glad they spent a not insignificant amount of cash to see this and be satisfied.
I saw the trailer for the movie often in the past few months, and back twenty years ago I read the book; then again, I barely remember anything about the book, so how it apparently has little to do with the novel is pretty irrelevant in this review. My expectations were not high, and it does not help that both director Jon Turteltaub and Statham himself said they were disappointed they couldn't make a gory R-rated splatterfest... I guess there's always Piranha 3D for such needs, but it'd be nice to have more of those.
Jason “It's a Megalodon” Statham is Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver who has to go and help save a submarine trapped in the newly discovered lowest point in the ocean, where the title creature resides. As I am sure everyone saw the trailer, The Meg escapes from there and causes havoc on a beach. As it is a co-Chinese production, no surprise some of the cast is that ethnicity, although at least there is some diversity all around.
The movie is quite silly, has some really dumb moments, the humor is hit or miss and it does not rise above popcorn entertainment. Yet as I did not have high expectations going in, I cannot get too mad. The very end, it has a joke that I am sure will sail over the head of the typical Joe Q. Public but all of us will get and you'll probably laugh. What does help in my rating is how the typical family sitting in front of me at the screening reacted.
They were a typical Joe Q. Public kind of clan, with middle aged parents and two kids (a boy and girl) that appeared to be early elementary school age. For the dad, his comments indicated this was his Infinity War; I'll surmise he remembers the novel much more clearly than me. Unfortunately I cannot say if it lived up to expectations for him as I did not hear them comment as we all left the auditorium. Considering this was viewed on an IMAX screen, this must not have been a cheap night for the family of four. They seemed nice so I'd feel like rubbish if they didn't. The girl did get scared a few times but she never cried or became hysterical, so it did not become an uncomfortable situation. The boy, a few times after a big scene, a soft yell of “yay!” was heard by myself; it was perfect that he was into this spectacle.
Most of us would have preferred a rated R spectacle for this shark film. After seeing how that familial unit reacted to The Meg, I suddenly can't get mad about it. Hopefully the fans of the book love it despite the loose adaptation and other families are glad they spent a not insignificant amount of cash to see this and be satisfied.
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