Wednesday, November 28, 2018

‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - THE MEG


‘Blu-ray or Bust’
THE MEG (2018, PG-13, 113 minutes, APELLES ENTERTAINMENT/WARNER BROS.)


Summer movies can sometimes get a bit stale.  Hollywood occasionally regurgitates the same ideas; what made money last summer surely will garner the same reaction this time around.

Thankfully, last summer had a few offerings that offered new hope when it comes to the typical summer blockbuster; whether it was dinosaurs haunting in a mansion or watching Tom Cruise run across an entire city, we definitely had some variety in the theaters.  And THE MEG was exactly what a summer movie should be: there was action, laughs, muscles, and a giant, hangry shark. 

MEG concerns a megalodon, a not quite extinct, giant, prehistoric shark that eats killer whales for appetizers and whales of the bigger variety at meal time.  And, apparently, it’s always meal time.  When a megalodon is freed from its underwater prison during a rescue operation and begins roaming the open waters 200 miles off the coast of China (which, for a shark that size, is probably, like, twenty feet from the beach), a team of scientists and precisely one badass try to save the day.  The script, written by two screenwriters responsible for RED and BATTLESHIP, and another dude that wrote PAYCHECK, work from the 1997 novel by Robert Alten.  Usually, three screenwriters spells doom; it means that there were either a whole lotta rewrites, or that the film could be clunky (like, one guy wrote the action, another the comedy, and another dude did the scientific research, and nothing in the film quite matches).  But this…oh, this is a beast that works surprisingly well.


Jason Statham stars as deep sea diver Jonas Taylor, a guy that rescues other divers for a living—or at least did, until what he claims was a giant shark was responsible for a prior rescue that turned disastrous.  He is pulled back into the mix after a Megalodon cripples a research vessel in the depths of the ocean, and rushes to save the scientists on board.  One of those is Hiro Naka—I mean, Masi Oka (“Heroes”), who proves once again how much of a natural talent he is.  Also in the cast is the gorgeous Ruby Rose, along with Bingbing Li (coolest name ever), Rainn Wilson, Page Kennedy, and a whole bunch of other people you will recognize from similar parts they have played in the past.  But stereotyping is part of the fun here, believe it or not.  This is a summer action film, so don’t go in wanting to see something other than two hours of joyous carnage and a remarkable number of near misses.

The film looks beautiful; the fully realized sets and the mini submarines that look like something out of a STAR WARS film have more than enough detail in them to make them appear better than your typical movie props.  The CGI translates well from the big screen to whatever you watch this film on; the filmmakers went to great lengths to making this look as authentic as possible, and it works.  And the score by Harry Gregson-Williams (THE EQUALIZER, THE MARTIAN) is a perfect pairing to the on-screen action.


The only thing I wanted more of in this film, however, was ten-year-old actress Shuya Sophia Cai.  Her timing is impeccable, and she has, quite possibly, the Greatest Eyebrows in Hollywood.  Seriously.  There are numerous funny moments to behold, several of which are delivered by Ms. Cai, whose facial expressions alone warrant their own special feature.  Alas, the special features included here are not eyebrow-specific; while entertaining, there are only two, and they don’t offer up much different in the way of behind-the-scenes.  Although “Making of the Beast” is very interesting in that it shows you how much research and detail actually went into creating the shark, the rest is skippable. 

As this is based on a series of books, we would be lucky enough to be swimming these waters with Mr. Statham and Co. again.  There has been no official announcement from the studio yet, which is quite surprising; the film grossed almost three times its budget, and that usually equates to a green light for a sequel.  So keep your fingers crossed, and watch out for fins.
           
Grade: A-
Special Features: C-
Blu-ray Necessary: Abso-freaking-lutely

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