Jason Statham Action Film The Meg Streams on HBO Max

Jaws remains the best shark movie ever made. Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster blends action, suspense, and horror. It stands as an important film in cinema history that changed the movie business. Because of that stature, another shark movie cannot top it. Even attempting that feat is a mistake. The best shark movies try to do something different, such as having Jason Statham face down a 75-foot prehistoric monster in 2018’s The Meg.

Jon Turteltaub directed this action-thriller after directing National Treasure. Jason Statham stars as Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver. Jonas lives in isolation after a failed mission at the start of the movie. When his ex-wife gets stuck in an underwater lab in the Mariana Trench, the deepest underwater area in the world, he comes out of retirement to save her. He succeeds, but the rescue releases a megalodon, a giant species of shark thought to be extinct, into the open ocean. Jonas and the crew of the Mana One research facility must hunt down the creature.

Unlike serious shark movies that attempt to compete with Jaws by making the shark scarier than Spielberg’s depiction, The Meg embraces the ridiculousness of its core gimmick. The shark is 75 feet long, which is roughly three times the size of the great white from Jaws. Instead of trying to match the intensity of Jaws, The Meg captures the thrill of a roller coaster ride. The shark claims a cartoonish number of victims while Jason Statham and the Mana One crew try method after method to take down the behemoth. The Meg plays almost like a parody of Jaws rather than a direct competitor. It takes itself just seriously enough to avoid feeling as gonzo as Sharknado.

Some people enjoy the Sharknado movies, but they are too cheesy compared to The Meg and its light action tone.

Jason Statham brings action movie chops and comedic acting skills to the role. Some of his earliest movies were Guy Ritchie action comedies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. While he is not as funny in The Meg, he plays a heightened version of his action movie persona. Statham often plays intense characters who drive fast and punch hard. In The Meg, he holds those stares longer than usual, and his character is exceptionally unflappable. It is a subtle difference, matching the over-the-top tone required by Jon Turteltaub.

Jason Statham referred to The Meg as a fun popcorn movie. It serves as a casual watch that remains fun. Viewers wanting more can stream the sequel, Meg 2: The Trench, on HBO Max. If The Meg feels like an outrageous take on Jaws, Meg 2 takes those elements even further with more megalodons, more death, and more Stathamocity. The two films make a pair for weekend double features.

The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench are available to stream on HBO Max.

Source: Polygon