MEG 2: THE TRENCH

Statham vs the shark

MEG 2: THE TRENCH (2023). Director: Ben Wheatley.

Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) and several other researchers descend into a deep trench, run into a problem, and discover that an escape submersible has been sabotaged -- they're (temporarily) trapped on the bottom. Jonas and the others have two enemies to worry about: several more hungry megalodons from the depths, and their greedy business partners, who are willing to engage in murder to get what they want. The megs and a huge tentacled horror then emerge from the deep and head towards a vacation paradise called Fun Island. 

Jason Statham

I wasn't that impressed with The Meg, but I really hated Meg 2. Despite some good FX work and a couple of exciting scenes, the script is just awful, spending way too much time on hit men chasing after Jonas and his buddies and that sort of thing instead of concentrating on the monsters. Even the good guys in this don't seem to really care about anybody, including innocent victims being gobbled (although to be fair Taylor risks his life more than once to kill the monsters). It's also irritating that the character of Jiuming Zhang (Jing Wu), who starts out as a somewhat foolhardy but dignified individual, suddenly turns into comedy relief -- as do others -- later in the movie. The movie seems to have been cobbled together from different screenplays thrown into a blender, and is never especially cohesive. Meg 2 also can't make up its mind if it's a creature feature or a Jason Statham Action Movie. As for Statham's acting, I'll have to reserve my opinion until I see him in something halfway decent. 

Verdict: Pretty much a mess. *1/2.