The summer sequel Meg 2: The Trench dives into theaters this weekend, though the critics are none to pleased with the film.
The first wave of reviews have surfaced on Rotten Tomatoes on Thursday, with the sequel garnering just a 21% score on the critic aggregator site.
That figure is more than half the RT score of its predecessor, 2018’s The Meg, which earned a 46% score from the critics.
While the first movie wasn’t a critical darling, it did go on to earn a surprising $145.5 million domestic and $530.2 million worldwide, thanks in part to a strong showing in China ($153 million), from a $130m budget.
Jason Statham returns as Jonas Taylor, who explores one of the deepest parts of the ocean and finds multiple megaladon sharks… and a few dinosaurs as well in this adventure where prehistoric creatures meets the present day.
With the sequel’s theatrical release beginning on Thursday night, the first 45 reviews have come in, with many critics claiming the film is ‘dull’ and ‘boring.’
Not pleased: The summer sequel Meg 2: The Trench dives into theaters this weekend, though the critics are none to pleased with the film
Rotten: The first wave of reviews have surfaced on Rotten Tomatoes on Thursday, with the sequel garnering just a 21% score on the critic aggregator site
Predecessor: That figure is more than half the RT score of its predecessor, 2018’s The Meg, which earned a 46% score from the critics
More sharks: More massive sharks return in Meg 2: The Trench, in theaters Friday
Jason returns: Jason Statham returns as Jonas Taylor, who explores one of the deepest parts of the ocean and finds multiple megaladon sharks… and a few dinosaurs as well in this adventure where prehistoric creatures meets the present day
Dull: With the sequel’s theatrical release beginning on Thursday night, the first 45 reviews have come in, with many critics claiming the film is ‘dull’ and ‘boring’
Deadline critic Todd McCarthy bluntly states in his review, ‘Meg 2 rather wears out its welcome very early on as it begins feeling like a tedious, repetitive joke.’
Jason Statham’s paleologist character Jonas Taylor is the only one returning from the 2018 original, though the original writers (Jon & Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris) return with acclaimed British filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) taking the helm.
McCarthy bashes the writers who, ‘for some reason stinted in the creation of any worthy supporting players to fill out the cast and seem uninterested in character building or even finding distinctive young actors to fill out the crew.’
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman pulled no punches in his negative review, while also leaning into one of the hot-button issues of the WGA strike.
‘If you want to know what a movie would sound like were it written entirely by AI, look no further than The Meg 2,’ he states.
He adds that, ‘the problem isn’t just that the dialogue they’ve come up with is leaden, or that the movie is sprinkled with discordant low-camp-meets-inept lines like “Before you start whining about the ecosystem, who cares?” It’s that everything we see or hear is functional, a series of arduous nuts and bolts jammed together.’
Like many other critics, Gleiberman criticized the film for its rather dull first half before the creature feature really kicks into gear, though it’s roughly too late.
He added the movie, ‘is numbingly formulaic, promiscuously derivative and, for a few stretches (like te over-the-top third act), diverting in its very shamelessness.’
Repetitive: Deadline critic Todd McCarthy bluntly states in his review, ‘Meg 2 rather wears out its welcome very early on as it begins feeling like a tedious, repetitive joke’
Jason as Jonas: Jason Statham’s paleologist character Jonas Taylor is the only one returning from the 2018 original, though the original writers (Jon & Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris) return with acclaimed British filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) taking the helm
AI: ‘If you want to know what a movie would sound like were it written entirely by AI, look no further than The Meg 2,’ he states
Too late: Like many other critics, Gleiberman criticized the film for its rather dull first half before the creature feature really kicks into gear, though it’s roughly too late
Formulaic: He added the movie, ‘is numbingly formulaic, promiscuously derivative and, for a few stretches (like te over-the-top third act), diverting in its very shamelessness’
One of the few RT Top Critics to give Meg 2: The Trench a positive review is The New York Times’ Calum Marsh, who praised Wheatley for a fun sequel.
‘The director having fun is the presiding feeling here — which may account for why the movie is so frequently amusing, and occasionally delightful,’ he said.
Slant Magazine’s Derek Smith also praised the sequel for ‘leaning into the ludicrous’ while Tribune News Services’ Kate Walsh thinks the second half completely redeemed the lackluster first half.
‘It’s an odd viewing experience, to have the second half of a movie not necessarily redeem the bland first half but rather find its sea legs, leaning into the slippery silliness of a summer shark flick,’ she said.
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