We’d all be lying if we said that we didn’t seek out and thoroughly enjoy some of the worst sci-fi or creature features that Hollywood had to offer. After all, if we didn’t, then the Sharknado franchise would have never been born, and the world would be a much worse place. And now, a beloved cult classic that went from a critical flop to a major box-office hit is coming back to HBO Max to fill the void (and yes, it has a sequel), so if you were looking for a terrible, terrible movie featuring a giant monster to kill some time with, then you’re in luck, because Jason Statham is here to save the day.
Everyone knows The Meg, Statham’s step into classic creature features. It stars some surprisingly well-known names alongside Statham, including Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, and Cliff Curtis, and centers on an attack on a deep-sea submersible that leaves it disabled, trapping everyone on board on the ocean floor. Time and oxygen are quickly running out, and it’s up to rugged rescue diver Jonas Taylor to save the crew and the world itself from a threat long thought to be extinct—a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark known as the Megalodon.
There really isn’t a single part of this movie that isn’t ridiculous. But that insane amount of camp is very much part of its charm—it simply wouldn’t be the cult classic that it’s become if the wild premise of the narrative at any point took itself too seriously. Despite that, though, critics refused to get on board with The Meg, chalking it up to just another cheese fest. “If a movie is filled with stereotypical characters, a generic plot, and a bunch of incongruities, at least own it. This is where The Meg fails to deliver. It does not know what it wants to be,” said critic Manuel São Bento. But it’s Don Shanahan that really seems to understand the movie’s allure, telling viewers to “tuck your monster movie napkin into shirt collar, skip the hoity-toity hand sanitizer, and bring your creative kill appetite to an entertaining little film feast.”
Casual viewers were also split on The Meg, and it sadly impressed only 44% of them, with most claiming that it was simply too corny for its own good—though they couldn’t seem to agree on whether or not the movie took itself too seriously or not seriously enough. “The serious tone promised at the beginning unraveled, and the plot meandered its way towards a ridiculous ending. It lacked consistent stakes and therefore cohesion. I don’t know what I just watched,” said one viewer. But another countered with, “The Meg is a fun action movie that does not take itself too seriously. The giant shark creates plenty of exciting moments, and the underwater scenes keep the movie entertaining.” So, at the end of the day, it seems that the only way to know for sure is to watch the movie and answer that question for yourself.
