Meg 2: The Trench - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Meg 2: The Trench



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
2018’s The Meg was the epitome of a big, dumb, guilty pleasure flick. It was cheesy, stupid, and had Jason Statham punching a shark in the face while using under water jet skis to maneuver against a mega shark. I mean, what else could you ask for? Well, I guess we were asking for a sequel (which was obvious from the end of the first movie), but lets not quibble over details. What we’re here for is Jason Statham talking out the side of his mouth and punching another shark in the face. Which we have in spades.

Meg 2: The Trench basically picks up after the events of the first movie, but amplifies everything up to near Sharknado territory. After the discovery of a hidden world of long thought extinct ocean dwelling cultures hidden under a thick thermo cloud (yeah, super technical stuff) in a deep dark trench in the ocean, the world as never been the same. Jonas Taylor is still working alongside his (now dead according to a few lines in the movie) dead wife’s co-workers in order to explore the trench and all of the wonders it holds. They’ve figured out how to mostly evade the Meg’s (Megalodons) with better technology, and even capturing a couple of the Megs to see if they can study them (how can this possibly go wrong? Did no one watch Deep Blue Sea?!)

However, things go sideways within 15 minutes of the film starting when they realize that an illegal mining operation is happening down in the trench, and has the unintended side effect of punching a hole through the thermo cloud keeping the nasty megs down in the trench from getting out into the ocean. Turns out that some of Jonas’s own crew is helping the miners, and the crew are stranded inside the mining base without any way to get out. Well, except for becoming Superman and swimming under miles of water pressure to safety, then basically kick starting an old escape pod to do so. But no, we’re not done yet. Several of the Megs have gotten out along with a few other nasty creatures, and it’s time for Jonas, Mac (Cliff Curtis), DJ (Page Kennedy) and his adopted daughter’s Uncle (Jing Wu) to basically kick shark butt and keep the giant prehistoric creatures from eating ALL of the innocent surfers at a nearby vacation colony.

I’m sorry, but The Meg 2 is full blown Sharknado level insane. There’s not even a sense that the show runners were trying to anything even REMOTELY serious. Instead we get winks at the camera as Jing Wu tries to blow up a mega octopus with a jury rigged bomb, Jason Statham LITERALLY jumps the shark while throwing an explosive tipped spear into the beasts head, DJ runs around with a 50 caliber desert eagle shooting mini dinosaurs (yeah, they have mini dinos too), and that’s only about 10 minutes of the movie.

Honestly, who cares about the plot. Nobody is seeing Meg 2: The Trench for its plot. We’re hear for witty come backs, completely unscientific techno babble, superman type levels of heroics, and lots of gunfire, explosions and Jet Skis with Jason Statham growling out of the side of his mouth for 2 hours. And, that’s exactly what you’re going to get. Nothing more, nothing less, and the acting is just what you’d expect. Jing Wu is having a blast as the carefree Uncle (who sadly doesn’t get to use his Kung-Fu on the beasts), Jason Statham looks like he has constipation as always, and well, the bad guys wax eloquent before getting killed by giant sharks. What else were you looking for?




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images, language and brief suggestive material





4K Video: Video:

Shot using the Sony CineAlta Venice digital camera and mastered at 4K for the home video release, Meg 2: The Trench looks absolutely amazing in 2160p. I don’t use this phrase lightly, but this is pure digital perfection. The colors range from bright and shiny, with fantastic outdoor shots later in the movie as Jonas and crew attempt to stop the escaped monsters, but also dips into DEEP dark shades under the ocean and inside of the underwater base. The trench is lit up with incandescent tones of orange, blue, red and even some green to round everything out, and the Dolby Vision application is stunning. Colors literally pop off the screen at every turn, and the deep inky darkness of the ocean trench shows almost NO artifacting whatsoever (and under water is one of the most taxing visual aesthetics to get right without banding or crush). There is a teensy bit of banding as the crew are “running on the ocean floor to make it ahead of the swarm of swimming dinos, but otherwise this is a picture perfect 4K image.








Audio:

Warner’s Dolby Atmos track is exactly the big and bold mix that you would expect from a giant shark movie. Massively enveloping, the mix thrives off of near non stop surround usage bouncing all over the room. The overheads get a wicked workout with water swirling all around the listening position, as well as helo’s thwapping overhead, or the sound of a giant tentacle slamming down on top of a boardwalk. Bass is just absolutely PUNISHING, giving us that big massive low end that we all were hoping for. Dialog is spot on as usual, and the dynamic range is actually rather massive. A whisper inside the station can cause you to lean forward, only to get punch back in the face as a giant shark slams into the station wall. Yeah, this is just pure gold.












Extras:

• The Making of Meg 2: The Trench - Featurette
• Up From the Depths: Even More Beasts - Fetaurette

Final Score: ​

Yeah, it’s stupid. Yeah there’s very little redeeming about Meg 2. But it’s actually fun if you like big budget shark movies and enjoyed the first film. It follows the traditional pattern of doing what they did in the first movie, then trying to out do it, but at the end of the day Meg 2: The Trench is a “check your brain at the door” shark movie where Jason Statham scowls and hits everything that gets in his way. I had a blast with the film, and while I’m going to admit that the 3/5 rating I’m giving the film is accurate of the films QUALITY, it was a full 4/5 for enjoyment from this jaded reviewer. The 4K UHD (no Blu-ray once again) is pure digital eye/ear candy, but the extras are REALLY slim. Still worth it as fun watch if you had any sort of fun with the first film.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jason Statham, Jing Wu (Jacky Wu), Shuya Sophia Cai, Cliff Curtis, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta
Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Written by:Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Dean Georgaris
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DVS 5.1, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French (Canadian and Parisian), Spanish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 116 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: October 24th, 2023

Recommendation: Fun, but Cheesy, Watch

 

[JStewart]

@Michael Scott
I watched this free on Amazon one day. It was one of those days where you could spend as much time looking for something to watch as watching something. Out of curiosity I started this show while thinking it might last 5-10min before I’d seen enough, but ended up watching all the way through.

Today I was happy after reading your review because… well first because I totally agree, but mostly because you liked it too I can now consider having watched it just pleasure and no longer a guilty one. What a relief.

Oh no, wait…

and while I’m going to admit that the 3/5 rating I’m giving the film is accurate of the films QUALITY, it was a full 4/5 for enjoyment from this jaded reviewer.

would you consider removing the word “jaded”?

 

[Michael Scott]

@Michael Scott
I watched this free on Amazon one day. It was one of those days where you could spend as much time looking for something to watch as watching something. Out of curiosity I started this show while thinking it might last 5-10min before I’d seen enough, but ended up watching all the way through.

Today I was happy after reading your review because… well first because I totally agree, but mostly because you liked it too I can now consider having watched it just pleasure and no longer a guilty one. What a relief.

Oh no, wait…

would you consider removing the word “jaded”?

lol, you're welcome at it no longer being a guilty pleasure. Jason Statham punching a shark in the face scratches a certain itch