Jason Statham is back as Jonas Taylor, five years after his character’s first fight with the thought-to-be-extinct Megalodon. When there’s a sequel to this type of sci-fi action flick, one thing is guaranteed — it’s going to be bigger than its predecessor and probably more ridiculous. That’s what audiences are likely hoping for, as Meg 2: The Trench crashes into theaters on August 4. Critics were able to see the sequel ahead of its release, and they mostly seem to agree that it forgot to bring the fun campiness that drew audiences to the first adventure.
In addition to Jason Statham, Meg 2: The Trench returns some familiar faces from the original, including Sophia Cai as Meiying (who is now under Jonas’ guardianship), Page Kennedy and Cliff Curtis, so who will survive the crew’s next round of bloody battles against the prehistoric beasties? We won’t reveal spoilers here, but in CinemaBlend’s review of Meg 2: The Trench, Eric Eisenberg has no problem saying that the movie fails to provide the expected silly cinematic experience, bogging the script down with plots that too often don’t involve any colossal, carnivorous fish. He rates the movie 2 out of 5 stars, saying:
With a script that is all over the place, the movie does nothing particularly creative or compelling with its bigger monster roster (this sentiment very much includes monster vs. monster action), and what fun big shark action it does have is drowned out by overcooked non-Meg-related plotting that includes an illegal mining operation in the trench, a corporate mole, the resurfacing of an old enemy and more.
Carla Hay of Culture Mix doesn’t hold back in her criticism of Meg 2, saying the sequel replaces the campy fun of the original with “an onslaught of terrible filmmaking.” Hay says this is not a case of “so bad it’s good,” reaching new levels of idiocy: The critic continues:
Between the unfocused direction, the horrible film editing, the mediocre-to-terrible acting, and the junkpile screenplay, Meg 2: The Trench is not the type of bad movie that’s somewhat entertaining to watch. It’s just a series of awkwardly cobbled-together scenes where action sequences look jumbled and the visual effects often look amateurish. Meg 2: The Trench soon becomes a blur of nonsense, because this movie just doesn’t care about having a good story.
Kate Erbland of IndieWire grades the movie a C-, saying the majority of Ben Wheatley’s film is composed of clunky exposition and a serious lack of Meg-centric terror. The critic writes:
It’s never a good sign when you’re checking your watch during a film — especially a film built on the inherently entertaining elevator pitch of ‘Jason Statham fights massive prehistoric sharks!’ — but audiences will likely find themselves doing just that during the first interminable hour of Meg 2: The Trench. At nearly two hours, Meg 2 spends more than half of its running time cycling through a dull, bizarrely convoluted plot before delivering anything actually amusing. We want very little: again, Jason Statham fighting massive prehistoric sharks, but even that is too much to ask of this tired retread.
David Rooney of THR remarks that despite more Megs, the sequel is “less fun,” fighting a pedestrian screenplay and struggling to find the balance between suspense and silliness. For such a preposterous plot Meg 2: The Trench seemingly should have been able to find more enjoyment. Rooney continues:
As much as it’s a joy to watch Statham slinging explosive harpoons from a jet ski, Meg 2 offers only scattershot pleasures. It’s too ridiculous to muster serious scares and too tonally uncertain to convince us that it’s consistently in on the joke. Even as the mindless summer fun for which it’s intended, the overlong movie falls short.
Courtney Howard of Fresh Fiction rates Meg 2: The Trench 1 out of 5, saying she found herself jealous of one of the movie’s victims for finding an early exit to the “mind-numbingly dull, frustrating and convoluted shenanigans.” Howard continues, saying audiences deserve better than “this bloated, rotting cinematic carcass.” The critic continues:
Director Ben Wheatley’s stab at a bigger, brawnier creature feature fails in almost every way imaginable – and even in unimaginable ones too – dawdling with the humans rather than showcasing the beasts lurking beneath the surface. It’s not just that this is an unremarkable picture. It also carelessly fritters away the well-balanced entertainment value and ecological sentiments crafted by its predecessor. With very little tension or rousing thrills, and nary a good scare in sight, this is a subpar sequel.
The critics seem to have strong opinions about Meg 2: The Trench, and it’s not just the ones above. The movie currently holds a 27 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 84 critics’ opinions. However, if this is a movie you’ve been looking forward to, or you want to see just what everybody’s talking about, you can check the movie out for yourself, as the sequel arrived in theaters Friday, August 4. Be sure to also take a look at our 2023 Movie Release Schedule to see what other films are coming soon.