The Meg (2018)
The Story
A group of scientists, led by Dr. Minway Zhang, have been funded to explore the depths of the ocean by billionaire Jack Morris. Their work centered on finding out whether the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench, was actually much deeper. The scientists had predictions that what everyone understood to be the ocean floor was actually just a cloud of gas called the thermocline.
To test the hypothesis, a three-person exploratory team takes a submarine to the thermocline, and the submarine seeps downward into the cloud to reveal a whole new world of ocean life. They soon learn that a megalodon — a massive prehistoric shark — has also been hiding under the thermocline. The creature attacks the scientists’ submersible, leaving them stranded and injured at the bottom of the ocean.
A rescue diver named Jonas Taylor is called in to save the scientists. Taylor is a former Navy captain who has a history with the Megalodon, having encountered it once before. At first, he refuses to help rescue the team, but once he hears that his ex-wife is the pilot of the submarine, he agrees.
Taylor and a team of other divers descend to the bottom of the ocean to rescue the scientists. They are attacked by the Megalodon, but they are able to fight it off and rescue the scientists.
The Meg now sees the crew as its prey and continues to hunt the scientists. The scientists use their understanding of the ocean to fight back, while Jack Morris uses his money and connections to attack the Meg. The shark is eventually taken down, but not before it attacks a popular beach near Hainan, China.
The movie ends with a message about the importance of protecting the environment. The Megalodon’s existence is a reminder that we are not the only apex predators on the planet, and that we need to be careful not to destroy the natural world that we depend on.
The Deets
Rating: PG-13 (Bloody Images, Action/Peril, Some Language)
Runtime: 1h 53m
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery & thriller, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
US Theater Release: August 10, 2018 Wide
Main Cast
Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor
Li Bingbing as Suyin Zhang
Rainn Wilson as Jack Morris
Winston Chao as Minway Zhang
Production & Crew
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Maeday Productions, Apelles Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, Flagship Entertainment, Gravity Pictures, Di Bonaventura Pictures
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Producer: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Colin Wilson, Belle Avery
Writer: Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber
Cinematography: Tom Stern
Music:Harry Gregson-Williams
Editor: Steven Kemper, Kelly Matsumoto
Makeup Lead: Vinnie Ashton, Ally Williams
Costumes: Amanda Neale