"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library" - Jorge Luis Borges

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Watching: THE MEG

Year: 2018
Rated: PG-13
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Five years ago expert sea diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham and his frown), in trying to rescue members of his crew, claimed to have seen a 70-foot ... "creature" attack him and his crew in the uncharted depths of the Mariana Trench, forcing Taylor to abandon the rescue mission and resulting in a few deaths. Disbelieved (no one else among the survivors saw anything) and dishonorably discharged, Taylor ends up just kind of hanging out in Thailand doing nothing but drinking and taking on odd jobs locally, until five years later when he's sought after again for another undersea rescue in the same region - this time one of the crew members being his ex-wife. Furthermore, Taylor's mythical 70-foot beast has now been seen by the trapped crew, making this an opportunity for Jonas to redeem himself, as well. Thus begins a long fight with a massive prehistoric shark (the Megalodon, hence the title) that's now been released from it's undersea prison, and the small crew - led by Taylor - that has to somehow stop it. The film is silly, brainless even, and full of tropes of the genre, with Jason and his grim frown finding time to maybe even find new love in between bouts of playing shark bait - and I loved every minute of it. The special effects are decent, touches of humor usually work, and there are certainly moments of genuine suspense. If you can sort of check your brain at the door and keep The Meg in mind for what it is - a giant shark movie that doesn't take itself too seriously - going in, you'll probably have a lot of fun with it, too.  7.5/10 stars

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