Does it have teeth? Well, maybe not the bite of its predecessor. But “Meg 2: The Trench” has its moments.
How could it not, with Jason Statahm, a prehistoric predator, and a villain who doesn’t give two hoots about anything but money? Plus there are some kinda-dinosaurs (think velociraptors possibly bred with Komodo Dragons,) and a darkly comic beach scene.
All this is delivered with the understanding that we’ve all seen “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Meg.”
Statham stars as Jonas, a deep-sea diver who is employed by the Zhang Institute. The head of the institute (Wu Jing) thinks he has developed a relationship with a megalodon. (The word “megalodon” means “big tooth.” It’s a kind of now-extinct prehistoric shark.
He thinks he can train the creature, but – wouldn’t you know it? – that doesn’t go well. It
It turns out there’s more than one megalodon down in the trench (see the title) and there’s another villain lurking down there, too, that’s every bit as deadly as the finny menace.
While Jonas has to stave off corruption and waterborne predators, eh also has to keep his eyes on his gifted daughter Meiying (Sophia Cai) who insists on getting a piece of the action.
What makes “Meg 2” worth the watch is its last 40 minutes or so. Director Ben Wheatley (“Rebecca”) had a ball with the last few scenes, especially one involving tourists scrambling from a predator when, moments before, all they needed to be concerned about was the possibility of a spilled drink.
This is when the film really kicks into high gears, with great use of colors, plenty of action, and yes, an imperiled, cute dog.
The Meg movies – I’m sure the third one is on its way – aren’t cerebral exercises, documentaries or, for that matter, awards contenders. They’re popcorn fun, worth wading out to see on the big screen.
2 1/2 stars
Rated: PG-13 for violence, foul language and scenes of death.
Running time: One hour and 56 minutes.
Watch the trailer here.
