I once dated someone called Meg. She had such terrible bridge work, every time I kissed her I had to pay toll.
THE MEG, is all about teeth and dating and the toll of toying with nature.

Megalodon, a big ass shark with gigantic jaws and deadly dentures, thought to be extinct dating back two million years is the creature feature of THE MEG, a flakey but highly entertaining adventure film.

In a pre title sequence, we are introduced to Jonas Taylor, a deep sea rescue expert trying to extract a submarine crew. Against tremendous odds and bizarre behaviour from an unseen presence, he manages to save most, but is haunted by his failure of not getting everyone out and the ridicule that meets his insistence that the incident was caused by a mysterious entity.

Fast forward a few years, and a small submarine pierces the atmosphere of the Marianas Trench descending deeper than though possible and discovering an ecology thought extinct. Skippered by Jonas’ ex wife, the sub is attacked and disabled.

Jonas reluctantly agrees to rescue, an attempt that creates a corridor that allows a megalodon to escape and wreak toothy terror on the high seas and sandy beaches.

The very naming of the hero as Jonas is an indicator of the humour rippling through this preposterous picture, as Jason Statham’s daring diver averts being chomped and ending up in the belly of the behemoth.

Low on gore but high on guffaws, THE MEG delivers a big budget B movie powered by Statham’s larrikin charm and delivery.

There’s a good supporting cast too helping keep this film afloat – Bingbing Li as oceanographer, Suyin, Cliff Curtis as Mac, an unperturbed project manager, Rainn Wilson as a gung ho industrialist and Robert Taylor as a cynical doctor.

Writers Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber have taken Steve Alten’s book and put a de-FIN-ative comedic spin on it.

Under John Turteltaub’s taught direction, the cast seem to be having a whale of a time making a big splash with action, suspense and tongues firmly in cheek.