The Meg 2: The Trench trailer finally dropped last week, five years after the release of the first film, causing a buzz amongst fans of the colossal shark blockbuster.
It starts out on a beautiful, calm beach. A dragonfly buzzes along peacefully. A little lizard snatches the dragonfly with its tongue. Two larger creatures–what appear to be dinosaurs–grab that lizard and jointly chow down on it. A title card flashes, “For 65 million years, one species ruled the world,” with increasingly ominous music. You’re expecting the titular giganto-shark to show up. But no! Instead, a T-Rex comes stomping out of the jungle, feasting upon the larger lizards that had jointly chowed down on the little lizard that had snatched the dragonfly that had been buzzing along the beach. It’s like that old children’s rhyme “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” but with dinosaurs!
But where’s our shark? Never fear. Just as the trailer starts to remind us of the terrors of Jurassic Park’s big bad, out of the depths comes Jurassic Shark–that fearsome Megalodon, looking just as toothy and even more mega than ever! Meg Jr. jumps out of the ocean, sinking its jaws right into the dwarfed rex’s head, and drags its meaty prize back into the depths where it will wait for the rest of the movie to begin.
Now, Jason Statham can take over because he’s way smarter (and more famous!) than any old T-Rex, and he’s back to save the day as Jonas Taylor, rescue diver extraordinaire.
For round two, we have at least three megalodons along with a bevy of angry sea monsters, including what seems to be a giant squid, unearthed when a mining company disturbs an ancient ecosystem hidden a couple of leagues under the sea. Jonas and his team of explorers must fight for survival in the trench as well as on the surface of the ocean as the trailer treats us to shots of unsuspecting water revelers getting swallowed whole by the giant sharks. It’s nature fighting back against the plunder of greed and climate destruction–a fitting theme for director Ben Wheatley, known for his dark social satires in movies like Kill List and In the Earth.
Wheatley has really stepped outside of his psychological horror comfort zone to bring us what looks like an outrageously action-packed sequel to the successful first film, which hauled in a half-billion back in 2018. Still, the trailer has hallmarks of the English filmmaker’s signature dark comedy stylings and penchant for bloody violence. But don’t let galeophobia stop you from seeing this one–with a PG-13 rating, this summer flick is likely to be more action than gore and will surely delight a wide range of moviegoers.
The Meg 2: The Trench stars Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, and Cliff Curtis. The tides will turn red on August 4, 2023. Check out the trailer below!
