The Meg.
Went to see this at the pictures last night with the Mrs.
Definitely inspired by the popularity of SciFi channel movies like Sharknado et al, the dialogue, the style of acting, and the set and prop designs all reminded me of the creature feature action movies of the 80s - The state of the art equipment on show, the characters working for good causes such as advances in research and knowledge, the capitalist boss man hoping to make big money, the hero who was the best but following disaster and heartbreak is now washed up and past it (but goddammit he’s the best we’ve got!), the child who is on location for God knows what reason and is the only person the hero is nice to, the love interest who hates the hero but is slowly being won over, the disaster, the double cross, the lack of help from proper authorities who leave our team to deal with the entire thing on their own....etc etc.
If Mark Kermode were to do a “Secrets of cinema” episode on movies such as these then I reckon the Meg could be the one he’d keep referring back to in terms of cliches and the formulaic way it was all played out.
For me, The Meg ticked all the boxes. It was a fantastic bit of escapism. It was exciting, it was funny and it also had moments where it was touching. If you go see it, don’t try to nail it down or compare it against classics such as Jaws. Just accept it for what it is and I think you’ll happily enjoy it. I left the cinema last night exhilarated by it, laughing and talking about it all the way home. Surely that’s what cinema was made for!
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