The summer sequel Meg 2: The Trench dives into cinemas this weekend, although the critics are not pleased with the film.
The first wave of reviews has surfaced Rotten tomatoes on Thursday, with the sequel only getting 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 received a 46% rating from critics.
While the first film was not a critical treasure, it still made a surprising $145.5 million domestically and $530.2 million worldwide, thanks in part to a strong showing in China ($153 million), on a $130 million budget. .
Jason Statham returns as Jonas Taylor, who explores one of the deepest parts of the ocean and finds several megadon sharks… and some dinosaurs too in this adventure where prehistoric creatures meet the present.
With the sequel’s theatrical release set to begin Thursday night, its first 45 reviews are in, with many critics claiming the movie is “dull” and “dull.”
Not pleased: Summer sequel Meg 2: The Trench hits theaters this weekend, though critics aren’t thrilled with the film
Rotten: The first set of reviews came out Thursday on Rotten Tomatoes, and the sequel only managed 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 received a 46% rating from 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 too in this adventure where prehistoric creatures meet the present
Dull: With the sequel’s theatrical release set to begin Thursday night, its first 45 reviews are in, with many critics claiming the film is “boring” and “boring”
deadline critic Todd McCarthy bluntly states in his review, “Meg 2 wears out its welcome very early on, as it starts to feel like an annoying, repetitive gag.”
Jason Statham’s palaeologist character Jonas Taylor is the only one returning from the 2018 original, although the original writers (Jon & Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris) return with acclaimed British filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) taking over.
McCarthy insults the writers who “for some reason have made an effort to create worthy supporting players to fill out the cast and seem uninterested in building characters or even finding distinctive young actors to fill out the crew ‘.
Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman didn’t pull a fist in his negative review, while also leaning on one of the hot-button issues of the WGA strike.
“If you want to know what a movie would sound like if it was written entirely by AI, look no further than The Meg 2,” he says.
He adds that “the problem isn’t just that the dialogue they’ve come up with is leaden, or that the movie is peppered with discordant low-camp-meets-bumbling lines like ‘Before you start whining about the ecosystem, who makes it out?” It’s that everything we see or hear is functional, a series of laborious nuts and bolts clamped together.’
Like many critics, Gleiberman criticized the film for its rather bland first half before the creature feature really kicks into gear, though it’s about too late.
He added that the film is “numbly formulaic, promiscuously derivative and, for a few stretches (like the over-the-top third act), distracting in its shamelessness.”
Repeatedly: Deadline critic Todd McCarthy bluntly states in his review, “Meg 2 wears out its welcome very early on as it starts to feel like an annoying, repetitive gag”.
Jason as Jonas: Jason Statham’s palaeologist character Jonas Taylor is the only one returning from the 2018 original, although the original writers (Jon & Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris) return with acclaimed British filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) taking the helm takes over
AI: “If you want to know what a movie would sound like if it was written entirely by AI, look no further than The Meg 2,” he says
Too Late: Like many other critics, Gleiberman criticized the movie for its rather dull first half before the creature feature really kicks in, though it’s about too late
Formula: He added the film, “is numbingly formal, promiscuously derivative and, for a few stretches (like the over-the-top third act), distracting in its shamelessness”
One of the few top RT critics to have given Meg 2: The Trench a positive review is The New York TimesCalum Marsh, who praised Wheatley for a fun sequel.
“The director having fun is the predominant feeling here — which perhaps explains why the film is so often amusing and sometimes delightful,” he said.
oblique magazineDerek Smith of’s Derek Smith also praised the sequel for “leaning into the ridiculous” while Tribune news servicesKate Walsh thinks the second half completely made up for the lackluster first half.
“It’s an odd viewing experience to have the second half of a movie not necessarily make up for the lackluster first half, but rather find its sea legs leaning into the slick silliness of a summer shark movie,” she said.