Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
Jason Statham has managed to carve out a place for himself in Hollywood as the king of the B-movie. His action films have been reliable hits for more than 20 years, and yet, two of his biggest successes came when he was left behind in the martial arts action of an everyday boy who is a world-famous killer. Turns out, Statham competing with the big shark is where the real money has been all along. in 2023 Meg 2: The canal which not only features many prehistoric monster sharks but a giant octopus is now a hit on Netflix.
New Meg, Same Chum
First movie, 2018 Megit was our introduction to Statham's biggest character yet, Jonas Taylor, the diver. He doesn't come to the roundhouse kicking a bunch of harmless animals, instead he chooses to stab a giant shark in the eye. Meg 2: The canal fixes that problem by providing a bunch of badass mercenaries for Statham to do a karate chop. It also includes the great mating practices of prehistoric sharks.
Set five years after the first film, Meg 2 now with Taylor helping to fight natural terrorists and criminals, while back at the Mana One facility, the group learns about Haiqi, a young Meg who grew up in captivity. From the beginning, you can't think too hard about the plot. If Taylor is leading a team to reverse the thermocline at the bottom of the Mariana Trench from scratch and there is all the illegal drilling done, don't ask yourself “How did they build this?” It's not that kind of movie.
Like the first film, Meg 2 descend on a giant shark that terrorizes unsuspecting tourists and only Jason Statham can stop it. If you are wondering, “how deep is that water for a 75 meter shark” then you are thinking too much. Stop that.
Mo' Meg Mo' Problems
What you will notice between both films is that there are a lot of Chinese actors on camera. Both films were financed by China, and as a result, became megahits in the country. Meg it was at the end of the era when Hollywood was leading the Chinese editing scene as a major attraction in teh country. Meg 2 it came long after the trend was dead, but it was still a success, and more than $300 million of its $397 million gross came from overseas markets.
Meg again Meg 2 both are adaptations of Steve Alten's novels, although he makes significant changes to the medium. First, Meg 2 he spends a lot of time outside the Trench, there are a few sharks, and since Li Bingbing didn't come back to follow up, everything meant for Jonas's wife went to his brother, Jiuming (Wu Jing) instead. One new villain, the giant crocodile-like reptiles kronosaurs, was completely written out, and will probably be included in the third film.
A third Meg film, adapting the next novel, seems like a no-brainer. Warner Bros. has yet to greenlight it and Statham has been busy with the sequel The Beekeeper. Not only have both “Jason Statham's reign of the prehistoric shark” films been box office successes, but even on radio, both have become perennial hits that are always lurking in the top ten, if not in it, no matter the broadcast platform.
Meg 2: The ditch is now available on Netflix.
