If I were to sit here and spew out every single thing that happens in Meg 2: The Trench, you’d probably get very excited about it. Purely as a list of bullet points, the film has everything you’d want in a movie about big, killer sharks: bigger killer sharks, unfathomable action scenes, terrifying new creatures, plenty of wanton chaos, and Jason Statham on a jet ski, just to name a few. And yet, in the context of a film with all that and more, Meg 2 just plain misses. The bones are all there, but for several reasons, it never quite delights and entertains the viewer as much as it wants to.
Meg 2: The Trench picks up after the events of 2018’s The Meg with Statham’s character, Jonas Taylor, having fully embraced his eco-warrior status. He now travels the world fighting against people who damage the environment as an employee of a company run by Jiuming (Wu Jing), the uncle of Meiying (Sophia Cai), the little girl from the first movie who lost her mother and grandfather.
There’s way more to the plot as well, but the big inciting incident happens when Jonas, Jiuming, Meiying and a few other disposable characters find themselves in the titular trench where, a few more convoluted twists and turns aside, all hell breaks loose. Which, again, sounds super cool but is in fact the first major issue with Meg 2.
The issue is the bulk of Meg 2 has very little to do with megalodons. Oh yes, there are megs in the area. They’re around, hungry, and the pluralization here is accurate, but the film veers off onto a side track about betrayal and underwater mining, stuffing together elements from The Abyss, Alien, and Avatar while never really channeling any of them. The result is a not-boring, but not-all-that- exciting-either chunk of the movie that’s dark, hard to follow, and treated deadly seriously. In fact, a few moments aside, the middle of Meg 2 feels like a wholly different franchise.
Once Jonas and—well, less characters than he started with survive the dark underwater action, things surface and Meg 2 finally spreads its fins. You distinctly get the feeling that everything that happens in the light, at the surface of the water, is much more in line with the intentions of the film. Heck, the location is literally called “Fun Island.” Surely, everything else was just a soggy preamble and finally, things are about to get good.
This is where director Ben Wheatley (new to the Meg series, he’s known for darker fare like Kill List and High Rise) gives us all sorts of interesting and hilarious camera angles, deaths, fight sequences, and more. Things happen on helicopters, jetskis, docks, beaches, you name it. And it’s fun to watch but everything has this mist of seriousness covering it. Despite showing absolutely ridiculous things, Wheatley simply can’t break out of the box. Visually, he’s got the goods, but in terms of conveying a fun, upbeat vibe, it just never clicks.
Part of that is because the music doesn’t stand out in any way. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams just sits there, failing to elicit the extra emotion it’s supposed to. Plus, Wheatley only uses needle drops very sparingly, one near the end and one at the beginning. You just get the sense that a choice song here or there could’ve added a welcome dose of silliness (much as it does in the film’s trailer). However, without any real standout accompaniment to the images, no matter what magic Wheatley puts on screen, the fun is fleeting.
There is one person in Meg 2 who seems to get it though. No, it’s not Jason Statham, who is very much going through the motions here. And no, it’s not the director. It’s supporting character DJ, played by actor Page Kennedy. DJ is a character returning from the first Meg and Kennedy’s new version of him is the personification of what Meg 2 lacks. Whenever he’s on screen, he’s a hilarious, over-the-top delight, and it feels as if the movie will join him for the ride. But alas, it never quite does. He also doesn’t really become a big part of the movie until the final third, which is quite telling.
The best thing you can say about Meg 2 is that it tries. Oh, does it try. The dialogue is always intentionally (we hope) cheesy. There are numerous direct homages to famous films. Characters you assume to be heroes end up being villains. Statham kicks a shark in the face. All the pieces are there. But, in the end, all those commendable bits never gel together for a smooth, enjoyable ride. Instead, we’re left with a disjointed, flat film that isn’t awful, but is awfully forgettable.
Meg 2: The Trench is now in theaters.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
