The Mag came out back in 2018 and what came out of it was that Jason Statham was fighting a giant shark. What most people know was that is what a love of filmgoers were looking for. Mindless entertainment where they didn’t have to think they could just enjoy something crazy and out of control entertainment. It did so well that it spawned a sequel, Meg 2: The Trench, also based on the second novel in the series. 

Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is doing fine living his life. He is part of a special team of scientists that go on a mission to study a lot further into the trench. When they get here they notice that other people are mining the trench. While there they release more Megs and other threats that start to wreak havoc on the oceanographic science station and the mainland. Nobody is spared from their wrath. The team and others have to find a way to stop them.

There are certain movies that when you go to watch them you have to take your brain out of your head and just try to enjoy what’s on the screen. Meg 2: The Trench is one of those movies. It is filled with mindless action sequences and contrivance that if you think too heavily won’t make much sense, in the context of this film they make complete sense. It’s just one of those kinds of movies. And in that perspective, it’s not that bad.

Ben Wheatley has dabbled in a lot of different genres in his filmmaking career, but he hasn’t done a true monster movie like this one. He takes what he and we as an audience learned from the original film and ups the game to a different level. There are a lot of familiar elements in this movie but there are also some different things that up the antenna. The story probably had some of this added into it already but the way Wheatley uses that is pretty entertainment. There are a lot of funny as well as tense moments throughout the film.

Besides Statham, there is a larger cast he is surrounded by that adds aspects to the movie I enjoyed and was surprised by. Cliff Curtis, Wu Jing, Page Kennedy, and Melissanthi Mahut are all part of the deep dive exposition. And they are involved in a lot of the action sequences. Shuya Sophia Cai as Meiying is back again but a little older this time around. She, like a lot of teenagers, gets into trouble and her father figures have to get her out of it. There are also a few enigmatic characters that help drive whatever there is of a plot forward in the movie.

August like January and February is part of the doldrums of where studios throw their films to just put them out. Every once in a while there is something that catches on and film fans flock to it. The Meg was that kind of film and I think Meg 2: The Trench is another example of this. It’s not supposed to be some kind of piece of high art. It’s just supposed to be mindless fun. And as that it works very well. I think people will like it for these reasons. Warner Brothers has a series geared towards a certain audience mostly overseas but still, that’s an audience that wants to see giant kaiju eat and kill humans and Statham and others fighting for their lives. This movie works on that level.

3 stars

Dan Skip Allen