THE MEG 2: THE TRENCH (How to Ruin a Franchise) EXPLORED

Hey guys, what’s happening? Niyat here with film comics explained. As requested, today we’ll be exploring The Meg 2: The Trench.
While not a great adaptation, with many of the marine conservation themes and major characters changed or not present, and the main conflict and deep character drama gutted, the first film was a surprise hit that delivered on its promise of Jaws on steroids.
It was a pure creature feature, well aware of how silly it was, with Statham wrestling gargantuan prehistoric sharks, trying to protect his crew from the creatures he had spent his life researching.
Where director Jon Turteltaub excelled was in capturing the enormity of the Megalodon and the undersea environment.
So going into the sequel, helmed by Ben Wheatley, who unlike Turteltaub specialized in grounded drama and terror, I was hoping to see much of the same, archetypal characters making reasonable decisions to deal with the terrifying reality of a Meg appearing in the ocean.
Starring Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Wu Jing, Page Kennedy and Shuya Sophia Cai, The Meg 2 picks back up with the adventures of Jonas Taylor and the Mana One research team. But how does it fare compared to the original?
Check out the FilmComicsExplained Podcast here - / @filmcomicsexplainedpo...
Check out my playlists on film here - Film Explored - • Film Explored
Check out my playlist on Predator here - • New to Predator? Start...
Check out my playlist on Alien here - • New to Aliens? Start Here
Hey there folks!! My name is Niyat and this channel was created to assist in answering all your questions about Films, Comics, Games and Popular culture in a fun and engaging way!
All music is sourced from Epidemic Sound. To try a free 30-day trial of their music please head here - share.epidemicsound.com/v33gf
#themeg #jasonstatham #cliffcurtis
ABOUT ME
Disclaimer: I do not own rights to any of the source materials I used in this work, appealing to allowance made for "fair use" purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research, under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.

[@SebastienGendron-uk4po]

what always bugged me about these shark movies was that the directors make the sharks out to be these gigantic creatures (which require a ton of food to sustain themselves) but are always chasing tiny prey (usually the protagonist, individual people instead of crowds of people). The first Jaws movie had great execution when it came to suspense and despite all the bloodshed and death, the shark never came off as evil.

[@adequate673]

are you seriously expecting realism out of one of these stupid shark movies? There’s no way you are this slow

[@williamreffett5862]

Never seen a basking shark or humpback whale. Or any of the other krill eaters?

[@zzodysseuszz]

@@williamreffett5862 they eat fucking GIANT clouds of krill and plankton. Sharks eat fish. Fish that are proportionate to its body size. And they always eat enough to be proportionate to its body weight. The Meg never eats anything even remotely close to its body weight or size

[@williamreffett5862]

@@zzodysseuszz Have you ever seen a hammerhead shark they eat crustaceans

[@uria3679]

Who here believes once WW3 happens, movie quality will increase because Hollywood will no longer be able to rely on countries like China

[@haroldthaf]

You gotta praise Statham for accepting every script that lands in his overall vicinity.

[@RiverSiege]

You assume Statham ever backs down from a challenge.

[@ln.temperr5157]

Going for ole cages title

[@ODST626]

Yis. Ironically I love his movies. Like. He plays his characters well and is an enjoyable actor to watch. Plus I love B and C movies. They're so campy and funny

[@hamgobbler9160]

​​@@ODST626remember Crank, and the even more absurd crank 2, i love them deeply, just for being so fucking goofy and off the deep end

[@stemill1569]

He really is a reason to watch the movie.

[@iceheart1289]

I didn't see this movie, but if you tell me it ends with Jason Statham driving an exploding car through the shark, I'll believe you.

[@donovanchilton5817]

They had the opportunity to have Jason Statham cut himself out of a living Meg with a fossilized tooth of the same species and didn’t take it.

[@DH-.]

Now I'll expect to see this in the movie

[@realname4430]

No, but he *does* use the blade of a crashed helicopter as a spear to skewer the megladon through the brain.

[@sentientmustache8360]

@@realname4430HOW THE HELL DID HE USE IT? THOSE THINGS ARE HUGE! DID HE BUY A JAEGER OR WHAT?

[@everythingisland3170]

@@sentientmustache8360 He just pick the mf up. This movie is just dumb popcorn entertainment. I didn’t see the first one, but this video is telling me the first one was better.

[@brytonup1551]

The fact there is NO BLOOD in a shark movie is insane

[@BeyondDaX]

This is but a single guess, but the lack of blood is a small indication that they are ensuring that will sell well in more foriegn markets. Especially china.

[@deeya]

IKR?! Especially that mouth-cam scene, WTF! What a waste...

[@ronald8664]

It was clearly pandering to China and you know how much they censor media over there

[@uria3679]

@@BeyondDaXglad that someone noticed it

[@kcx1588x]

Funny when something swallows a idiot whole, there's supposed to be BLOOD??

[@Tainted_Human]

I'll never get over how hilarious it is that Jason went on an interview throwing shade at Marvel CGI then went on to fight a CGI prehistoric shark.

[@spencers4121]

Some of the CGI in the marvel movies can be pretty meh to bad, the first Black Panther being a big one. I saw the first Meg, I don't recall the cgi looking bad yet to see the 2nd one.

[@Tainted_Human]

@@spencers4121 it wasn't about being bad. It was about it being used. Yet he's in 2 movies about CGI sharks

[@blackblurable]

oh the irony. He's probably salty that he didn't get an offer to be in one of their movies lol

[@KingDingDong69]

@@blackblurablemcu is garbage rn and wasn’t any better than good before endgame🙄

[@187mrsmith]

@@Tainted_Human this is why you got to stop mistaken celebrities and athletes as people of importance when they're really not

[@pat2430]

Meg 2 is like sharknado. It embraced its awfulness and trying to outdo itself.

[@SwiftyEmpire]

And for that, i love it

[@obscureoccultist9158]

You know you gotta respect them for taking their cheese and running as far as they can with it

[@damonlongstreet8630]

​@@obscureoccultist9158when the source material is the exact opposite, yeah no

[@uria3679]

Who here believes once WW3 happens, movie quality will increase because Hollywood will no longer be able to rely on countries like China

[@animezilla4486]

​@@damonlongstreet8630I disagree

[@Novikous]

This movie has a bad case of Idiot Ball. When a character holds the idiot ball, it causes irrational behavior for plot contrivence. The ball can be passed from character to character regardless of distance and time.

[@alexmartin3143]

I been carrying an idiot ball my whole life…

[@Hawk7886]

The idiot ball is basically my security blanket.

[@Slop_Dogg]

That’s fine, it’s already deeply stupid on a conceptual level

[@ContactsNfilters]

Lord of the Megs. I have the ball! It's my turn to act.

[@TheInfinityzeN]

One thing he didn't comment on is the stupidity of mining rare-earth elements from the bottom of the trench. Despite their name, they are fairly abundant and the term 'rare-earth' is a misnomer because they are not actually scarce. Their value comes from the difficultly of extracting them from ores that contain them. So building a mine for something that is found almost everywhere on the planet in an extremely hostile environment which would make the difficult extraction process almost impossible makes no sense.

[@neo-filthyfrank1347]

That seems like a dumb thing to whine about in a movie like this

[@paul-juniorblack6151]

I mean kinda, except the mining pushes the plot. Them blowing up the Trench allow the Megs to come through the Thermoclyne so if it is truly as unneccessary as this guy says then its dumb. @@neo-filthyfrank1347

[@prehistorichero2755]

Also, the whole eco plot of villains ruining the environment for no reason not only makes it absurd, but it doesn’t feel like it belongs in a movie adaptation of the novel. Would it made more sense if they’re just poachers hunting and killing prehistoric fauna for their teeth and skulls, or they just wanted to exterminate them to ensure humanity wouldn’t face more of these monstrosities after the incident during the events of the first film?

[@mirakil7636]

I really rather enjoyed the movie, but I went in not expecting anything beyond "giant shark action movie 2: electric boogaloo". It filled my expectations quite well.

[@Zaher74]

Same XD

[@riotbreaker3506]

My biggest red flag was seeing a Megalodon eat a Tyrannosaur, two animals that existed 63 Million Years apart. Might as well have had the T. rex eat a Polar Bear. Realistically, a Megalodon would be pretty tame, as most sharks are today, I'd be much more terrified of Livyatan, the killer whale that hunted Megs. The fact that they weren't used here is a travesty.

[@spencers4121]

Got to save something for meg 3.

[@CelesteSinger1]

That scene was taken from the book, and it’s actually part of Jonas’ presentation. In the next chapter the next scene literally starts with Jonas saying how megalodon and T. rex didn’t exist at the same time

[@Prehistoryanim]

So you went into the theater and wanted to see realistic shit when you are about to watch a sci-fi action movie? The excuse you have for this being a shitty movie is a shitty excuse in itself.

[@ashrog82]

Took me a minute to realize you meant "a whale that is a killer", not "an orca".

[@SonamSlash]

Well, they didn’t hunt megs. They more so competed with megs since they both fed on smaller whales

[@cretaceouscrusader661]

The age old question of: "Why is there a vent/gate/door that is big enough for the creature you are trying to contain to escape from in its enclosure?" - Why not have a bunch of smaller vents to allow water circulation instead of one big Megalodon sized vent.

[@LightofJoshua]

Was thinking the same thing

[@kyleellis1825]

Is the door to a tiger cage/zoo enclosure too small for it to get out of?

[@cretaceouscrusader661]

@@kyleellis1825 was thinking more along the lines of monster movies, but point taken.

[@Emmet-id6xq]

When this scene was happening I kept thinking's don't do free Willie's jump over the enclosure wall

[@joshruiz809]

@@Emmet-id6xqwas thinking the same lmao

[@locomotivetrain3797]

The thing that confused me the most was how Jonas the environmentalist had no issue killing a rare species that they know they co-exist with I was so confused how they humanized a giant monster just to murder the species later on

[@damonlongstreet8630]

In the book only 1 has even been killed by a human, other Megs, Lios, Orcas are another story

[@donovanbradford8231]

Listening to this I'm wondering how much of this film was written by actual writers and how much was crafted by AI because while I haven't seen this it sounds all over the place having plot elements that not only seem out of place but fit better into other types of films. I don't know if this was too many cooks in the kitchen or having one or two people come in to fix a badly written script done up by a computer because this story doesn't make any sense.

[@Ebi.Adonkie]

I thought it was strange too. Eco warrior that felt really good killing animals. Just a stupid movie overall

[@leroy1154]

Well first off, because they don't "co-exist". The Megs all live and exist with in the depths of the Mariana Trench. They don't exist or live outside of it (barring events of the movies where they "escape"). While they may visit and explore it, the Trench is not the natural habitat of humans. At no point, at least that I recall, does Jonas suggest that the Megs that exist and live within the Trench should be killed. It's only when they escape and become a treat to people that he was ok with killing them. Think of it like a dog lover, who loves dogs, but is alright with shooting a feral dog that attacks livestock or people. Also, who says the Meg is rare? In 2 movies we've seen at least 6 different Megs, one of which was pretty scared up, implying logs of fights with other Megs.

[@prehistorichero2755]

I agree. Also, sharks can't be tamed by humans, and the navy tried that before. Maybe it's best if the movie's plot is literally in the trench, hence the title 'The Trench', and no prehistoric animals swimming to the surface.

[@chalk-one]

Statham killing the shark with the propeller reminded me of the crocodile death in the Australian film "Rogue". It's essentially the same killing method, shot quite similarly too.

[@thepassionate3335]

That shark was a hefty beast

[@compatriot852]

"How to ruin a franchise" really is something we've seen a lot in recent years

[@stillcantbesilencedevennow]

Almost like it's on purpose.... "You'll own nothing, and like it."

[@joshmerchant8737]

@@stillcantbesilencedevennow im almost 100% convinced most movies this year and last year were actually written by ai. i dont buy into most conspiracy stuff, just that corporate execs are cheap bastards.

[@Jack5628]

Trying to build something amazing only for that thing to explode 10 seconds later

[@GameTimeWhy]

​@@stillcantbesilencedevennowyeah because bad movies, shrink-flation and other anti-consumer, pro corporation moves never happened before in history. Good call little NPC. Keep repeating the information your talking heads downloaded into you.

[@baddogmtv]

The first one was shite. Who care if this one is stupid.?

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

I haven't seen Meg 2 but Meg really felt like one of those SyFy channel Friday movies but with a bigger budget.

[@dantauche7917]

I LOVED those when I was a kid

[@spencers4121]

I saw the first Meg movie, wasn't expecting much to be honest. But it was an ok popcorn type movie to me anyway, have no desire to see meg 2 to be honest.

[@keegantripp1245]

Honestly it’s not that bad. It’s a turn your brain off movie and enjoy.

[@madsjrgensen8939]

No there are movies where you switch your brain off, then there are movies like this one where you blow your brain out because of how bad an over the top stupid it really is, should have gone more with the style of the first one, not this peace of garbage that has no place in movie history, that´s how bad this shit is. But glad you enjoyed dumbing your brain down to something like this peace of trash

[@jojetparedes4024]

"Allergic to good decision making..." that just made my day...

[@pixiebomb28]

That scene with DJ and the survival pack reminds me of LL Cool J in Deep Blue sea for some reason

[@JizzyF83]

I swear it’s him that starts rapping during the credits too

[@ashleydickerson1905]

I held out for years on watching the first movie, only caving in when trailers for the second started coming out. Now I wish I had seen it in theaters and not on just a big screen at home because the shot where the Meg comes out of the shadows behind Meiying is soooooo good! Still don’t understand the way it gave me chills, but also put a huge smile on my face😂

[@neo-filthyfrank1347]

What interest of yours have you reached the highest level of detail in? If any.

[@reid3576]

Right! Me and my gf saw it at a drive in cus it was all that was playing and it still to this day one of the most pleasantly surprised I’ve ever been watching a movie. Me and my gf enjoyed it from start to finish. No difference with this movie. So many great moments and awesome shots. Yet these reviewers nitpick these movies calling them out for every little “unrealistic” detail. Such a sad way to watch movies

[@hung8969]

My father doesn’t go to movies, he’s a construction worker, over 55 and only likes westerners. But he enjoys jaws ALOT. So he got into the first Meg and loved it. He went ALONE to this one… went to lunch with him the other day and he made a small comment “ nothing like jaws, even that was worse than jaws 3” if something is as bad as Jaws 3. I couldn’t even imagine

[@freakystyley4000]

Um, Jaws The Revenge?

[@sentientmustache8360]

@@freakystyley4000dear GOD

[@donovanbradford8231]

Oh my lawd Jaws 3 that is a low bar indeed. So it's not so much you needed to check your brain at the door so much as you just didn't get one at birth.

[@shainewhite2781]

12:53, in the novel, they named the shark Angel, which is 72 ft long and weighs up to 30 tons. Also in the novel, Jonas and his friends also have an encounter with a Kronosaurus, which is never revealed how big it is, but it might be the size of a blue whale, 100 ft long and weighs up to 90 tons.

[@prehistorichero2755]

And why a giant octopus? It feels generic when they added a giant octopus in a movie about prehistoric marine animals.

[@shainewhite2781]

@@prehistorichero2755 It's supposed to be a giant Nautilus or Ammonite, as they grew to massive size, as big as a Toyota Tundra!

[@prehistorichero2755]

@@shainewhite2781 Even though this animal doesn't have a shell and it's also too big, unlike its prehistoric counterparts.

[@Sackquaza]

@@prehistorichero2755 The Hell's Aquarium novel had a gigantic Vampire Squid in it, so they may have tried to use that without thinking about it.

[@prehistorichero2755]

@@Sackquaza In fact, Vampyroteuthidaes, like the extant Vampire Squid, have evolved since the Mid-Jurassic, so that counts.

[@Nic-with-the-Beard]

Listening to the plot explained, I'm starting to get very suspicious that it was written by A.I. as a demo ahead of the writer's strike.

[@10pmmemes88]

Hollywood might honestly be higher quality if it was Ai generated. That's how bad modern cinema is.

[@aetriandimitri190]

​@@10pmmemes88it'd be better if they didn't rush writers and paid them fairly. I love ai, but it's absolutely not going to make masterpieces in writing

[@jerryg4534]

Same

[@yaJA._.]

@@aetriandimitri190how do you know we’re literally at the starting point of A.I

[@aetriandimitri190]

@@yaJA._. except we aren't, we've been using ai for years, its only just gotten mainstream and popular in public eye, its been used in the back for a long time. Ai can't create something entirely new, its whole purpose is to mash things together. All it can end up doing is make a bunch of random scenarios, and then give inspiration to a person

[@greenkoopa]

This isn't a comedy channel but damn you had me rollin with the Arnold memes 🤣🤣🐢

[@TheRisingHeroz]

The film was basically what they did to Jurassic World: Dominion instead of it being about dinosaurs it was about big companies and the dinosaurs were sidelined. When the villain was talking about plundering the earth of its materials I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how cartoon villainy it was

[@ColvyMolvy]

Am yet to see this (probably won't because I loved the books) but in the book its what the main goal of the corporation was. The only access to a mineral to use in building a fusion reactor. The problem was all the damned giant sharks and Kronosaurs lol

[@TheRisingHeroz]

@ColvyMolvy if that's how it was in the books then thanks for telling me haven't finished reading them. I think it could have been done better for the films

[@koreancowboy42]

Yeah Jurassic park and world just loved the typical bad military, hunter, scientist greedy villain type whatever. I'm like *facepalm* Can WE GET SOMETHING ELSE!? And their villain deaths are so shit....

[@TheRisingHeroz]

@koreancowboy42 and the villains are always killed by the trex or some carnivore and they act like the dino is a hero. It's like yeah the trex saved them at the end of 1 but they ran out of there bc staying there would mean that they would be eaten.

[@rustyshackleford234]

“Mwahahahha! I’m gonna KILL all of the _____ so I can get the rare earth materials/money/stuff that helps biznis”

[@MrHellsing76]

I have a feeling AI writing played a part in this film's script.

[@Cenentury0941]

Well, AI isn't a part of the writers strike so maybe it was lmao

[@brettwood1351]

@@Cenentury0941 With the writers issues getting paid especially residuals from streaming, maybe they decided to just phone it in.

[@phoenix211245]

​@@brettwood1351When the writers produce sub par work like this, why should they get paid?

[@nyrangersfan6325]

@@phoenix211245exactly what I was saying!

[@shelbyjackson1128]

Idk know what I like more, the dissection of this... interesting...film, or the amazing use of Arnold clips lol

[@rockymay386]

Underwater is such a great film. Everyone needs to watch it.

[@calebday6988]

it doesnt do cosmic horror good at all lmao. bad movie

[@prehistorichero2755]

I agree. That movie is intense.

[@CantankerousDave]

A solid creature feature, I thought.

[@peterstoric6560]

I went into the theater board and expecting a cheesy creature feature and honestly it’s exactly what I got. While not as good as the first I still found fun in this movie as it wasn’t too far off from the tone established in the first. All in all, it is what it is.

[@kyleellis1825]

My issue is the budget. This should have been a B movie for 1/4 of the budget if it's going to be stupid. If people are going to spend A List money on a movie, it should have it's script gone over twice.

[@ContactsNfilters]

A cheesy movie with some cheesy popcorn sounds perfect. 👌

[@spicybeantofu]

The Meg was a good monster movie. I didn't even know there was a second one and from the sounds of it I'm glad lol

[@LordEriolTolkien]

''We're gunna need a bigger Statham..''

[@ventii_kun]

I recently saw this movie with my family and it’s goofy as hell! (strong Sharknado vibes). I know this isn’t the main issue with this film, but I’m still trying to understand just how the hell they managed to get great cell reception at 25,000 ft below sea level. And also, what kind of material on earth did they use to create their scuba diving eco suits? Fucking Vibranium!?😂😂😂

[@bread4635]

I unironically loved the meg 2, it was just a fun movie to watch and eat popcorn too

[@withertempestprime8718]

Ah Hollywood, you never stop disappointing me.

[@seanr152]

I gotta say,Niyat adding memes to the reviews is good addition 😂😂

[@khalidamajoud4114]

Well, that was to be expected! 🤷‍♂️

[@therestingmitchface6241]

I remember being so excited when I saw a trailer for this movie… and then I saw dinosaurs and said uh oh Thank you for saving me money and satisfying my curiosity

[@CryosisOfficial]

I've seen a lot of people saying that the sharks are barely in the movie, but I went to watch the movie the other week and did we watch the same movie? The sharks are pretty consistently featured over the full course of the plot with a similar amount of screentime as the sharks in the first movie, while also juggling several other creatures and a human antagonist plot.

[@PeteOnTheBeat]

My wife loves Sharks and love Meg. She wanted to watch this on the cinema and there I went along. I felt sorry for her. 80% of the movie without sharks ffs. If I were alone I would have left the room. So stupid,so bad.

[@iconicphotographystudio]

100 % of the film is without sharks, they are all CGI...No radio controlled models (like Deep Blue Sea), no real shark footage (Jaws/Jaws 2/Deep Blue Sea) and no mechanical shark like in Jaws/Jaws 2/Deep Blue Sea.

[@AlexGNR]

Even though I really enjoyed the Meg 2 as a movie, having recently started reading the book "The Meg: Hell's Aquarium" I cannot help but wonder what went on in the heads of the movie producers. Angel renaming to Haiqi.. Like come on. And why did she not look like an Albino 90% of the time and then a few shots she suddenly is an Albino like in the books... I do still want them to make a 3rd movie, but please, different writers and director who want to stay as true as possible to the book and fix things up by having the BS meter up to oblivion in the first act to make the transition proper and then quickly take a turn to the more serious and dark, thriller/horror aspect the books have. Because I for sure want to see more Megs on screen. They just gotta have the right guys. Heck, why not hire Alten to help write the script if he wants. It is what they did with the Maze Runner Triology with James Dashner who helped write the scripts of the movies there to stay true to his books. Overal I did like the story of the Meg 2 if we see it as a separate thing and as a fun movie. Besides that, IMO not a true Meg movie. Hopefully they can fix shit for a Meg 3 movie as I want to see the books come to life. Otherwise we need some other big producer to also make a cinema version of Alten's books because the amount they deviated in the Meg 2 was just absurd. I do still recommend watching it though, and just be sure that we all voice our opinions. Perhaps someone should start a petition for THE MEG 3 to be as true to the book as possible maybe? Like, they got the budget going for it by now.

[@damonlongstreet8630]

He wrote the first screenplay back in like 07 but after 10 years of development hell and being bought out by a Chinese studio he's been completely pushed to the side, Altens writes realistic horror when the suits want child safe camppy.

[@nonenone4618]

Nah. Alten wrote an article stating that he did sell out, and that he didn't regret it. He wanted the money.

[@CelesteSinger1]

@@nonenone4618 Which article and when was it written?

[@damonlongstreet8630]

@@nonenone4618 After 10 years of Parkinson's no shit he'll need some financial help. He's happy for the pay but probably wasn't honest when it came to reviewing the movie.

[@brettwood1351]

Any changes to Chinese names or nationalities from the book can easily be explained as Panda-ring to Chinese film markets.

[@napros]

The only problem with The Meg 2 is the editing bloopers, that no one has bothered to mention. At 1:24 Jason Statham says "I got this", then heads out riding a jet ski, so he takes the 3 harpoons and heads out to face the 3 Megs alone, only problem is he wastes 1 of the harpoons at 1:29:30, now he is down to 2 harpoons. This is where it gets interesting (bad editing). At 1:29:35 the aerial shot shows he has none, then back at water level he has the harpoons again, but wait for the real blooper, at 1:29:58 he still has the 3 harpoons, then at 1:32:54 he only has 1 left. So not only does he take all 3 harpoons, he wastes 1, should be down to 2 but ends up with the full 3, then out of nowhere he has only 1 left (Which is then shot out of his hands by the villain on the speedboat using machine guns). So if they are going to spend so much money on making a film, you would think they would at least make sure when they do the editing, someone would, at least, check it for errors. Nothing like recycling shots that doesn't even make sense (reference to the aerial shot with no harpoons).

[@neffdeathwatch7641]

It was okay 😂😂😂..... better than what The Flash was that ending with the Spartan Kick I was laughing. $12 wasn't bad.

[@johnlarsen9187]

Not sure if you actually watched the first film. But Jonas was not a paleobiologist, he was a deep sea rescue diver.

[@cread13]

This was my understanding as well or at least that he was former military/coast guard

[@bigtyg21]

well if you read the books then you would know that he was a deep sea diver for the navy and after getting the boot from that job became a paleontologist to prove that the meg exists

[@johnlarsen9187]

@@bigtyg21 had the reviewer referenced the books as stating that information, and not the previous movie, this thread would not exist.

[@johngriffey3902]

Yes, yes, yes!! my man bringing it to me real just like he always does! This is why I subscribe to this man's channel!! He isn't afraid to say what has to be said. Love the honesty and format, so from San Antonio fricken TEXAS, keep it up my man! And God bless!

[@raynightshade8317]

This movie feels like a sequel to a different movie and the Meg at the same time somehow

[@labelladonna9122]

I hate what they did to this amazing book series. I have no hopes for Hells Aquarium or seeing Jonas and Terry's children

[@damonlongstreet8630]

You could say we got a Chinese knock of 🤣🤣😭😭😭😭😭

[@Tainted_Human]

Wait these are based off books?

[@damonlongstreet8630]

@@Tainted_Human Writen by Steve Alten and are the exact opposite of the movies, Realistic Horror Thrillers with Lots of Gore. Meg 1997, The Trench 1999, Meg Primal Waters 2005, Meg Hells Aquarium 2009, Meg Nightstackers 2016, Meg Generations 2018, Meg Purgatory 2025/26. Steve just started the release of a special Legacy collection, check it out.

[@goldiesworld2095]

The 1st Meg was sooooo good this is why it’s on to leave movies alone they don’t need part 2 sometimes 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@jgstudios117]

It's supposed to be a fun summer movie if you watch it for the plot then go watch something else 🙄

[@LauraDyehouse]

I've been waiting for this video to drop!! 😂 Can always count on you for a full in depth analysis of movies I don't want to spend money on but am so curious about!! ❤

[@BEVERLYPRINCESS90210]

You deserve a reposnse for showing the love 😁

[@mr.belphegor8185]

You can't ruin an already bad first movie with a second bad movie

[@keegantripp1245]

Taylor wasn’t a marine biologist, he was an ex rescue diver. In the second film he’s called an eco warrior but since we don’t know who he generally went after it looks like he went after the most dangerous ones, like the ones dumped radioactive material. With what he knows is down there the last thing he wants is a mutation to occur and cause something from the trench or elsewhere to become a bigger problem than a shark. Plus that opening scene is reminiscent of what happened in WW2 where US PBYs and other floating aircraft would land on the water while still maintaining speed and pick up downed pilots, all while under possible enemy fire.

[@damonlongstreet8630]

You clearly didn't read the book

[@keegantripp1245]

@@damonlongstreet8630 I tried to, but couldn’t find book 1 and knew that the movies took parts and plots from them. I mainly went by the movie instead at this point.

[@damonlongstreet8630]

@@keegantripp1245 audio book for 1 n 2 should be on KZbin

[@brettwood1351]

When they announced they were doing The Trench, I wanted exactly one thing out of this. Meg vs Kronosaurus. I figured I'd be dissappointed by them dropping that, but hey maybe Meg vs Kraken would be a good substitute. Sounds like the Giant Octopus is barely in here, has no real menacing buidup (like everything else), and we don't even get a good fight with it and a meg. Disappointing.

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

Speaking for myself, I liked the idea of the Corporate villain's motive being to mine the mineral found only in the trench, & worth as much as Diamond, they DO have a purpose-industrial espionage, & treasure hunting, the connection between the fly tipper dumpers and the greedy Corporates also worked. my only other critisism is that the film was a little over stuffed at times, but this is a common problem with modern cinema, especially films that involve a lot of spectacle and action

[@mrbill8763]

I hate that for this movie so much. Meg wasn’t an awesome movie but it was a good movie. I hate that they wrecked the sequel.

[@chefc8371]

If they would’ve just followed more closely and exactly MEG by Steve Alten, that would’ve been great.

[@TheGamingPastry]

Meg 2 is gonna end up being the first movie whos script was written by AI, i know it

[@martynstembridge7714]

Ben Wheatly must have got a BIG pay day to create this mess ... He had real potential once.

[@jtmplmbr4465]

This one almost pushed Niyat over the edge.

[@sos_legio_primus9177]

This felt more like an Asylum mock-buster version of The Meg. Rather than the sequel to the first Meg.

[@steveba50]

Could be nominated for an Academy award……. For best comedy feature 😂

[@reynielmoreno1505]

Love this review. It had no mercy.

[@cretaceouscrusader661]

There's no way those amphibious reptiles were Kronosaurus. In fact, I can't believe they were even reptiles at all. They must have been basal amphibians with residual gills to allow them to breathe underwater.

[@Jorunic]

Please cover the 95 movie Congo, it needs a spotlight and is one of the few, imo, remakes that needs to happen.

[@franciscovasquez2106]

It was a dumb but fun movie that didn't take itself too seriously. Like the scene where Jason Statham exits the airlock without a suit in the Mariana trench, it was ridiculous cuz we know any person or mammal would instantly be crushed and freeze to death. But if you can suspend your disbelief for a while, you can definitely enjoy the movie.

[@jurassictyrantkingYT]

The problem with the Meg 2 is the fact that Megalodon is a cenozoic apex predator of the Seas that just recently died out three million years ago where T-Rex died out during the end of the Mesozoic Era 66 million years ago. Even though it's basically just entertainment is still very confusing on why they put Megalodon in the age of dinosaurs when Megalodon was feasting on whales 3 million years ago.

[@animezilla4486]

As long as it's entertaining people really don't care if it doesn't make sense

[@jurassictyrantkingYT]

@@animezilla4486 that's why I said that I know it's just entertainment.

[@benjenkins5995]

It makes even less sense considering that whole scene was originally in the first novel and was simply shown as a hypothetical situation to show how intimidating the Meg is meant to be. It’s a speech by Jonas in the beginning of the novel and he even says once he’s finished something along the lines of “well anyway that wouldn’t happen since they didn’t coexist but if they did it would probably be like that”. Why they didn’t do that here…who knows?

[@Cenentury0941]

@@jurassictyrantkingYT If it's just entertainment and people don't really care if it doesn't make sense, then the thing about the time frame being wrong couldn't possibly be "the problem" with meg 2 though.

[@DensilGrant]

Because none of those shit ever existed 😂

[@liquidocelot4885]

That thumbnail is closest I'll get to Statham roundhouse kicking the Meg

[@chaudcarte]

Hello! Can you please do a video exploring the movie Enemy (2013) by Denis Villeneuve? Thank you😊

[@filmcomicsexplained]

Of course! Adding it to the list :)

[@damianstarks3338]

Fantastic review of this Meg sequel

[@mprojekt72]

Aaand another movie that I add to my list of other movies that I pretend were never made. Subjectively fictional fiction that I swiftly learn to edit out of my vision and hearing; sort of like "Highlander 2," which many people tell me is a thing but they cannot prove its existence, even while waving a weirdly blank VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/BluRay in front of my face.

[@stillcantbesilencedevennow]

Solid advice. Lol

[@Marcin9200]

If sharknado had budget

[@jasonburke1671]

Yknow, the first Meg is honestly the first time ive seen the movie actually TONE DOWN the attacks and blockbuster action. Literally the way he kills the first meg in the book is by swimming into its insides and stabbing bother hearts while holding his breath

[@ninjamasterbuilder8675]

Well maybe Mei remembered her experience from the first movie and matured some especially seeing a meg get close to the glass but not bite the glass or metal probably removed her fear some

[@IchigoKurosaki_]

Wait, this movie wasn't something to be taken seriously?!? 🤯

[@og_colombian7025]

Just because it shouldnt be taken seriously didn't mean it has to be bad

[@dammagrilla]

Would've never guessed these movies were based on books...

[@garythescouttrooper4908]

Ah, so The MEG 2 is basically Jaws II for 21st century audiences. Fun.

[@christianjeffress5312]

Honestly, the movie had me laughing at some of the stupidity, more than anything, and my BS meter going off more than once. I saw the movie as more of a dumb comedy with some action in it than anything else. The first movie was definitely by far better in my opinion.

[@mryasraz471]

il iked meg 2 more than the first . I liked the human villain and characters . overall amazing movie. i like movies which has good characters and show less monsters. thats a good formula

[@creatrixZBD]

That’s what I’m going to see it for. A whole lotta larger-than-life stoopid. Perfect temporary escape from all the wrong kinds of stupid irl.

[@tooreal4softassyoutube]

Both we're garbage

[@murk4552]

​@@tooreal4softassyoutubecause everyone didn't die? Wah wah

[@michaelhowell2326]

It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off.

[@JPOG7TV]

You can’t ruin a franchise that was never good. At least the books are still interesting.

[@animezilla4486]

I disagree with you completely the franchise was good

[@trieuvann8763]

Love that you don't hold back on your hatred to this nonsense while being articulated

[@TJSnow-mh1qz]

I have a dumb question, but wouldn't the subs block the individuals electric signature from the Meg? 16:10 I know the subs still have an electrical field, but I'm curious if the subs shut down would the Meg still sense the people inside.

[@adammacdonald5332]

It still couldn't be worse than what Disney has done to it's brand. What a high bar, todays standards

[@malalford]

Cliff Curtis tryna attack through the mace was hilarious.

[@fubecafy]

I wish I would have seen this before buying tickets and enduring the two hours of this movie.

[@andrewcoulthard-clark]

I imagine that as it was mandated that it had to be PG, so there could be no blood or gore, and people could only be swallowed whole didn't help.

[@damonlongstreet8630]

It was both sad and hilarious watching normies caim/believe it was gonna be R

[@tonyc8258]

This is one of those turn off your brain popcorn munchers you watch with friends and make fun of Unfortunately, even that can outstay its welcome, and that’s what this movie did. Even the latest Jurassic world film had moments of tension with creative designs for new dinosaurs that were (mostly) likeable This is just “a bigger shark” plus an octopus

[@kidd522666]

another great video!! thank you!

[@jaimeramirezXP]

Crazy part is, I had no idea it came out until 20 days after it’s initial release.

[@skyflyerace7972]

I liked the kraken a lot I just wish they used more deep sea creatures to the full extent.

[@DiaryOfaCell]

I had such high hopes for this movie, and I left so disappointed.

[@bresoccercards6461]

Meg 2 doing well at the box office and that is all that matters.

[@StarShopping69]

I threw my hands up so many times in this movie like the blade through the Meg's head etc. The CGI was Sci-fi channel levels of bad for the smaller dino's in the finale. I was the most let down as the premise of exploring more of the trench and seeing all these cools creatures in action with stellar CGI sounded so fun.

[@La_Cadavre]

I loved the film. I would go watch it a dozen more times if I could. Anyone trying to go to a giant creature film for the story is insane. They just took the book plot and slimmed it down...a lot.

[@shainewhite2781]

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER is opening tomorrow! I hope you do a reaction and review of it soon.

[@filmcomicsexplained]

You know I will buddy!

[@thearmchairjournalist566]

Whoop Whoop - an upload to cap the week off 👌

[@thearmchairjournalist566]

This video was more entertaining than the actual movie 😂

[@filmcomicsexplained]

Ooof you can smell the burn from here 😂

[@Kreau]

What Niyat just rip apart Statham's character is just peak commentary!

[@Poppyhead21]

I went to go see this movie stoned it was great

[@Galactus78]

Underwater really was slept on

[@damianirovano0789]

I love the fact that film comics explained slowly descends into insanity cause of this movie 😂😂😂😂

[@dragoncat9153]

(look somebody's gotta be that guy) kronosaurus wasn't a dinosaur it was a marin reptile, those are different things Unimportant details aside good video, no clue how I never heard of the sequel coming out until now

[@bombomos]

This was a fun shut off your mind movie. I loved it

[@ponderery]

Thank youu! I guess i'll just wait for this to hit streaming/ dvd to watch haha

[@sidepresang5771]

The still images with your narration can almost be seen as a surrealist re-edit of MEG 2, separate from the video essay itself.