The monster genre takes another leap into the spotlight with Jon Turteltaub’s The Meg. Set in an underwater research base, The Meg dives into an action packed plot centered around a 75-foot prehistoric leviathan - the megalodonwhich escapes at the hands of the researches to take on the modern world as his personal buffet.

The movie starts by fleshing out Jason Statham’s deep-sea diver character Jonas Taylor through flashbacks where he is faced with an improbable decision of whether to save many lives or die trying to save two. This moral question is at the center of Statham’s character and creates most of the plot for The Meg, reappearing throughout the film in different ways and scenes. Statham’s Jonas standouts from the rest of the characters. The seasoned action star portrays the typical macho hero needed to destroy the true star of the movie- the 75-foot monster shark. Like those that came before it, The Meg falls prey to a subpar plot that is more worried about the action than the flow of the movie. It pits man against an improbable, natural evil that appears to be unbeatable with surprises audiences will have seen played out before on the big screen.

The Meg has twists and turns that are fun to watch but become predictable at times. It almost plays into this aspect too much replicating scenes from other well-known monster films. In this aspect, Tutrteltaub pays homage to the first modern master of the monster film-Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. The characters play out well-rehearsed and known archetypes seen in both Jaws and another Spielberg classic Jurassic Park.

The Meg is another look at what man must face when nature is his foe, depicting the played out man vs. nature theme scene in almost every monster film to date. Even the 2018 Rampage tries to bring the theme of man vs. nature back to life with the Rock trying to humanize an albino gorilla. Both films are concerned with taming and conquering nature, which also consequently becomes terrifying at the hands of scientists.

Where Rampage is a campy remake of the 1980s video game of the same name, The Meg attempts to be more serious following in the footsteps of Spielberg’s Jaws. Jonas, like Spielberg’s protagonist in Jaws Martin Brody, inherits the search for the great kill. He is obsessed with destroying the megalodon and saving those around him. However, Turtelbaub tweaks the central hero archetype by making him less concerned with the kill itself and more of the consequences of the kill — saving lives.

Though the plot is a lackluster and the characters are nothing new, The Meg still creates a fun, romp of a movie that will have audiences at the edge of their seat. The play up of the massive shark is impressive to see, along with the special effects that go into making the megalodon so gigantic. Fear and suspense are tactfully used throughout the film, manipulating the audiences expectations in a way that is reminiscent of Spielberg’s Jaws. Crazy props and sets, mainly the underwater research base, enhance the monster chase.

3 Os out of 5 Os