Tuesday 8 August 2023

Meg 2: The Trench - The scoop and digest

Ben Wheatley loosely adapts The Trench, the second in Steve Alten's MEG novel series.

Jason Statham - Jonas Taylor
Wu Jing - Zhang Jiuming
Sophia Cai - Meiying
Page Kennedy - DJ
Sergio Peris-Mencheta - Montes
Skyler Samuels - Jess
Sienna Guillory - Hilary Driscoli
Cliff Curtis - Mac

Summary

The Cretaceous Period
65 Million Years Ago

A T-Rex is devoured by a Meg.

Not that it makes any sense, but opening is lifted from the prologue of Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror.

Present day.

Jonas gathers evidence on a ship illegally dumping radioactive materials.

During the Oceanic Institute's tenth anniversary, director Zhang Jiuming introduces Haiqi, the only Meg in captivity.

When an exploration mission into the trench runs into problems, survivors reach a sea floor station, where they discover Hilary Driscoli has masterminded a rogue mining operation.

Ruptured septum

I'm a huge fan of Kill List and Sightseers, but what the fuck happened here?

Trailer teased a full on monster mash, but uh-uh.

Fun Island does deliver some crazy action in the final 20 minutes, but until then, it's excruciatingly boring.

Source material was never going to be followed literally, but I don't understand why Kronosaurs were swapped for a giant octopus.

Although the Stath injects some dry humour, acting is largely terrible.

Homages deserve praise though.

Jonas slides down the deck towards a Meg's mouth, but saved when monster becomes tangled in chains.

This appears to be based on Quint's last stand.

As DJ fights soldiers aboard the Mana One, comedy character announces 'he made poison tipped bullets, just like Jaws 2'.

Doing his best Chief Brody impression, Jonas screams for everybody to get out of the water.

Finally, after a Meg approaches at high speed, he impales it in the head with a helicopter rotary blade.

Sequence smacks of Brody electrocuting Brucette.

Primal Waters could follow.

Maybe?

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