Jonas Taylor (Jason Stathman), a rescue diver, is on a routine rescue when he sees something remarkable. The side of the collapsed submarine crumbles in what looks like a giant bite mark. Nobody believes his story, and he is forced out of his profession in shame. Years later, at an underwater research base, billionaire Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson), Dr. Minway Zhang (Winston Chao), and his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), are supervising a submarine exploring an ocean trench when it is attacked by what could be the same unknown creature. Out of options, Jonas is recruited to save the crew. At the ocean floor, the identity of the creature is finally revealed. A Megalodon, a gigantic shark thought to be extinct for millions of years, is loose. Now Jonas, Suyin, and a group of scientists must find and kill the super predator before it kills again.

Jonas Taylor is a rescue diver who stopped diving after his first disastrous encounter with the then-unknown beast. After hearing that the same beast may be responsible for the submarine attack, he finally gets back in the water. Suyin is an oceanographer who is torn between studying the giant shark or killing it before it can do any more harm. Her father, Dr. Zhang, owns the research base. Jack Morris funded the base and doesn’t want the shark threatening his investment. The other scientists include Jaxx Herd (Ruby Rose), Mac (Cliff Curtis), DJ (Page Kennedy), and The Wall (Olafur Darri Olafsson). Suyin’s young daughter Meiying is one of the first to trust Jonas when he returns.

Jason Statham is most well known for his roles in action films, such as The Fate of the Furious. Rainn Wilson is famous for his role of Dwight in The Office. Winston Chao’s most successful film is The Wedding Banquet. Li Bingbing was cast in 2018’s Guardians of the Tomb. Ruby Rose is well known for her roles in Orange is the New Black and Pitch Perfect 3. Cliff Curtis is cast in the upcoming Avatar 2. Page Kennedy is not only an actor but a rapper. Olafur Darri Olafsson has been cast in the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

People have been fearing sharks since the dawn of humanity. For decades, the film has tried it’s best to capture that fear. Steven Spielberg did it best with Jaws, and directors have been clamoring to catch up. All shark movies have a certain thrill to them. Action, suspense, and fear are all common themes. The Meg took those themes and amplified them. The megalodon is 40 feet long, twice as long as Jaws, and loose in the open water. Nobody knows how to handle a shark this size, and it needs to be stopped as soon as possible. Countless lives are in danger, and next to nobody knows the meg is out there. Those who do shoulder the responsibility of stopping it. The audience can feel how tense the situation is. There are plenty of jumps scares to satisfy thriller fans, and enough scientific accuracy to keep the critic in their seats.

Anyone who enjoys thrillers, sci-fi, or suspense would love The Meg. It was cheesy, but just barely. Wouldn’t recommend to fans of realistic fiction, romance, or nonfiction. MPAA rating: PG-13. My rating: 3 and a half stars. Not Jaws, but still a very sharky picture!