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MOVIE REVIEW

Meg 2: The Trench

also known as “The Meg 2,” “Meg 2: Die Tiefe,” “Cá Mập Siêu Bạo Chúa 2: Vực Sâu,” “En eaux très troubles,” “Meg 2.: Az árok,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for action/violence, some bloody images, language and brief suggestive material.

Reviewed by: Alexander Malsan
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: • Young-Adults • Teens • Adults
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Horror Adaptation Sequel 3D IMAX
Length: 1 hr. 56 min.
Year of Release: 2023
USA Release: August 5, 2023 (wide release—3,503 theaters)
DVD: October 24, 2023
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Relevant Issues
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Monster movies

Giant Megalodon sharks

Disaster films

Survival horror

Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

What is the LEVIATHAN mentioned in the Bible? Answer

Sharks: denizens of the deep” —“The fossil record is clearly consistent with the fact that sharks have always been sharks, and have not evolved from non–sharks.”

ORIGIN OF BAD—How did bad things come about? Answer

Did God make the world the way it is now? What kind of world would you create? Answer

Animals were not created carnivorous, for God commanded that they eat only plants (Genesis 1:29-30). Death (physical and spiritual) entered the world through Adam’s sin (Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Romans 5:12; 6:23; I Corinthians 15:20-23). Although work and pain existed before sin, they were greatly increased after the fall (Genesis 3:16-19). Clearly, the Bible tells us that the world that we are familiar with is very different from the one which God created and pronounced as “very good.”

VEGETARIAN SHARK (similar articles: • “Piranha” • “The lion that wouldn’t eat meat” • “Lea, the spaghetti lioness” • “Instead of eating baby antelopes, this LION wants to love and protect them” • “The cat who refuses to eat meat” • “Catching a kinkajou” • “The ‘bird of prey’ that’s not” • Vegetarian spider

Creation SuperLibrary.com
Top choice for accurate, in-depth information on Creation/Evolution. The SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.

Deception / What is LYING? What are the truly BIG lies of our world?

Betrayal / Double-cross

Ambush

Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

Lead actor Jason Statham was reportedly disappointed by the lighter tone and lack of bloodshed in this film.

FILM VIOLENCE—How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer

Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company
Featuring Jason StathamJonas Taylor
Jing WuJiuming Zhang
Shuya Sophia Cai (Sophia Cai) … Meiying
Cliff CurtisMac
Page KennedyDJ
Sergio Peris-MenchetaMontes
Skyler SamuelsJess
Melissanthi MahutRigas
Whoopie Van RaamCurtis
Kiran Sonia SawarSal
Felix MayrLance
Sienna GuilloryDriscoll
See all »
Director Ben Wheatley
Producer Apelles Entertainment
China Media Capital [China]
See all »
Distributor
Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures. Trademark logo.
Warner Bros. Pictures
, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

Prequel: “The Meg” (2018)

Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) has always been a man of action. After having fended off the monstrous Megalodon shark in the first film, Jonas has decided to be a man of action in a different way, fighting environmental crimes such as toxic waste dumping in the ocean with the help of another team, The Mana One. Jonas has also focused most of his attention on raising his teenage daughter, Meiying, of whom he is very protective.

Jonas has been in touch with Meiying’s uncle, Jiuming (Jing Wu) who has taken over his brother’s company since his death. This company has been overseeing the care of a young Megladon named Haiqui, in hopes of learning more about this creature and how to better care for Megalodons (after all, they’re here to stay, like it or not). Everything is going swimmingly until… Haiqi escapes her enclosed area. Jiuming says there’s no way she could have escaped… This could be a problem.

But that’s being sidetabled for now, as Jonas, Jiuming and Meiying (who has stored away on the submarine), are going on a submersible exploration of the trenches, 25,000-feet below the surface. On their exploration, not only do they discover Haiqi mating with other megalodons, but they discover an illegal mining operation captained by a mercenary named Montes (Sergio Peris-Mencheta). Montes has his own grudge against Jonas for having him jailed for illegal activities. So what does Montes do when he sees Jonas’ submarine approaching, well he blows up the trench walls of course.

Jonas’ and the rest of the team’s submersibles are hit by the falling debris and crash. Jonas realizes that the only choice now is for him and his team to walk the seafloor to the underwater mining facility before their tanks run out of oxygen. They just have to ignore the two megalodons circling nearby and whatever else might be underwater with them.

Easy right?

Shark movies have become a dime-a-dozen since the first shark film, “Jaws,” in 1975. So many different versions of shark movies have rarely shown any individuality. Yet, apparently some people can’t wait to see them no matter who makes it. The concept just seems exciting to some audiences. They get excited when someone gets chomped up by a giant fish, especially if it’s a character you can’t stand (like a villain or really just someone who’s annoying). There’s a fanbase for sure. You know you shouldn’t enjoy, it but for some reason you do.

“The Meg 2” is no exception. A sequel to the first “Meg” movie, the “Meg 2” raises the risk, raises the suspense, the danger and the impossibilities (like fighting off a giant octopus all by yourself). With the raises come a raise in concerning content as well, If you are increasing all these different areas, making the sequel bigger, they apparently feel they have to increase the amount of concerning content too.

No, you really don’t have to. In fact, in light of recent news of the various shark attacks that are occurring in different parts of the world, “The Meg 2” probably wasn’t a good idea, but that’s beside the point. While indeed some cinematic aspects are praiseworthy (such as some of the performances or the camerawork in general), the content in “Meg 2” is still as problematic as the first, and the first was VERY problematic, particularly the violence. Yet when it comes to the level of violence portrayed in the sequel, the director was quoted as saying this…

“I think that in terms of action, it’s like the “Indiana Jones” movies are the high watermark of that. It’s like you feel like you’ve seen a lot of action and it doesn’t feel as a viewer like it’s been toned down […] And I don’t think that’s to do with certification. You don’t have to have loads of blood gouging out of people to make things more impactful, in a way.”

Even a reviewer from GameRant remarked…

“While an R-rated cut of Meg 2: The Trench isn’t happening, it’s always possible, however unlikely, that a more violent sequel will eventually happen should the franchise continue to be successful.”

Therein lies the REAL problem… the need for violent content. Violence, especially for the sake of being violent, is not something that should be praised and glorified in the first place. Yet, worldly people want more and more. “Bigger!” they cry, “Gorier!” they exclaim. When will enough be enough?

Q & A

FILM VIOLENCE—How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer

There is a very strong message about protecting the ecosystem and marine life.

Q & A

EARTH’S ENVIRONMENT—Should Christians be concerned about the environment? Answer

What is man’s responsibility to the environment? Answer

Content of Concern

VIOLENCE: Note I’m not listing every single moment, as the amount is extensive. This is just some of the things that stood out.

There is a scene where a T-rex eats a lizard, but then the T-rex is eaten by a Meg (short for megaladon). A character, on board a ship, is seen being chased, and there is a brief fight sequence. Someone falls from on top of a shipping crate and hits their head on the way down. Someone is swimming with a Meg at a marine reserve and is almost eaten. Someone blows a seawall with explosives and two people mining the seawall are killed. A landslide occurs from the explosion destroying two subs. An eel-like creature is seen sucking on the helmet worn by a crewmember as the crew walks the trench. A Meg chomps down on a character (we hear her scream as she’s being eaten).

Someone head implodes from the pressure inside the researching facility (we see a headless corpse aftewards, but it’s not graphic). Giant reptile-like creatures attack the crew. Someone is asked to kill a main character but can’t do it. There’s another fight where a man is almost crushed. Someone is almost choked out. Someone is kicked in the face. Some people are knocked unconscious. Someone is tased.

Megs chomp on other characters. An island full of tourists are seen running in terror and some are eaten by Megs (in one instance a Meg eats multiple people at the same time). A reptile-like creature is seen dragging two individuals to their doom. A meg is bloodied and killed (we witness his insides showing. A giant octopus attacks a bunch of tourists, dragging them underwater and eating them. A man falls from a great height, another is stabbed with a piece of wood. A man is pushed into the mouth of a Meg. A meg kills a giant squid. A Meg is speared through with a giant piece of metal.

VULGAR LANGUAGE: F**k (1), Scr*wed (1), Sh*t (4), Bull-sh*t (1), S. O. B. (2), B*stard (1), As**s (1), A**holes (1)

PROFANITY: G*d (1), Oh my G*d (1), H*ll (5), H*ll yea (1), D*mn (3)

SEXUAL CONTENT: Someone comments on how two Megs are mating (and we see that briefly). Two people share a kiss. A very crude man says to two women at a beach, “You wanna rub oil on my back. How about my front?” Someone finds a pack of condoms in someone’s emergency pack and the person responds with, “Different kind of emergency.”

NUDITY: There are some shirtless males and women in bikinis at a beach.

ALCOHOL: Someone talks about buying beer and engaging in bar fights. Some tourists are seen drinking on an island.

OTHER: We see lizard-like creatures and insects eating the carcass of a dinosaur. Men toss barrels of toxic waste into the ocean. A young girl stows away on a ship against the wishes of her father. We witness a dead character with his insides showing.

There are no real redeeming morals I can draw from this film.

Final Thoughts

Jason Statham has gone on record as complaining about how minimal the amount of violence is in “The Meg 2.” That’s a really scary statement. I know it seems like most of my review sounded like a sermon on the dangers of excessive violence in films, but “The Meg 2” is the product of such an issue.

Ok, sure, you go to a shark movie expecting some amount of violence, but “The Meg 2” seems excessive. Not to mention, apart from that, there are a plethora of plot holes, questions and just a sense of unease with this film. In my opinion, “The Meg 2” is not appropriate for ANY audience, adults included. We don’t need to support these kinds of films. Swim away from this MEGA problem of a film.

  • Violence: Heavy
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy
  • Profane language: Moderate
  • Nudity: Mild
  • Sex: Mild
  • Drugs/Alcohol: Mild
  • Occult: None

Learn about DISCERNMENT—wisdom in making personal entertainment decisions

cinema tickets. ©  Alexey SmirnovEvery time you buy a movie ticket or buy or rent a video you are in effect casting a vote telling Hollywood, “I’ll pay for that. That’s what I want.” Read our article

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—This movie was very entertaining and constant suspense and action. It’s nothing like the first “Meg,” and its mostly them running from bad guys trying to kill them as well as the Meg’s everywhere. Then the land dinosaurs attacking people, that was intense. Sure there was some really far fetched scenes, but the movie was very entertaining and well made for its genre. And it was pretty clean, except the killing and violence. Overall, I thought it was a great movie, and I am pretty picky.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Stephanie, age 48 (USA)
Negative
Negative—Waaaat? Ridiculous bunch of drivel. There are no more good writers in Hollyweird. The last half dozen or so movies we have gone to see, ranging from action, comedy, drama, suspense, have all been so boring. What a waste of time and money. So disappointing because going to the movies has always been an experience to look forward to. Now, with doubled ticket prices and cheesy plots, it’s just not worth it anymore. Sure missing the older, much better written and well acted flicks.

We have to wonder what the current actors are thinking that used to perform in quality films. I guess, for enough money, some people can just pretend they’re a part of something meaningful. Morally it wasn’t offensive, which is a positive in today’s market. It just was blah and silly. Could be entertaining for a 12 year old? But doubt it.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
JB, age Over 50 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Secular Movie Critics
…The disappointing news is that the big, dumb fun promised by a terrific trailer — ingeniously cut to the 1977 Heart banger, “Barracuda” — only materializes intermittently in a movie that too often struggles to find the balance between suspense and monster-size silliness. …As much as it’s a joy to watch Statham slinging explosive harpoons from a jet ski, Meg 2 offers only scattershot pleasures. It’s too ridiculous to muster serious scares and too tonally uncertain to convince us that it’s consistently in on the joke. …
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
…more over-the-top but still sounds like it was written by AI… “Meg 2” is numbingly formulaic, promiscuously derivative…
Owen Gleiberman, Variety
…pretty awful stuff even in comparison to its predecessor. …Young teenage boys and lovers of bad movies might appreciate Meg 2 but that’s not exactly a winning recipe for theatrical success these days. Hopefully, this sequel will sink into the trench from whence it came and nothing else will surface in its wake. [1½]
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
…A dull sequel that plunges into boredom… bad CGI and poor writing… There is a big difference between a campy film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and one that is just wall-to-wall miscalculated execution. For clarity, “The Trench” is firmly in the second camp. …
Tomris Laffly, The Wrap
…“Meg 2: The Trench” commits the worst sin a movie about a giant prehistoric shark can make: it’s kind of boring. I went in looking for an audacious good time and, instead, I got a movie about rock smugglers. …Isn’t near dumb enough to be fun…
Mike Ryan, Uproxx
…The movie is over 90 minutes before the slasher component kicks in — and by that point, I was too bored to find much of anything endearingly silly. …brief moments of pleasure are buried at the bottom of an ocean of exposition, dumb plot twists, and incomprehensible underwater action scenes. …
Matt Singer, Screen Crush
…When a gigantic octopus tentacle reached out of the ocean to grab Meiying, it suddenly made me think of a very good octopus dish at a local restaurant. I wasn’t even hungry. It’s just that easy to lose interest in anything going on in this movie. …
Caryn James, BBC
…“Meg 2: The Trench” lumbers through the waters, failing as both a gripping thriller and a cheeky ‘so bad it’s good’ piece of late-summer escapism. …even audiences simply looking to hoot and holler at campy action-horror antics may find The Trench rather too wet. …
Tim Grierson, Screen Daily