The Meg: The Trench - Dive into the Epic Pitch Meeting!
Meg 2: The Trench Pitch Meeting dives into the depths of the monster movie genre, exploring how it navigates the challenges faced by recent films Discover the intriguing journey of this sequel, shedding light on its unique narrative and captivating audience reactions
Summary
The latest installment of the Meg series, Meg 2: The Trench, has faced criticism for its lack of shark action and focus on human conflicts.
Similar to its predecessor, Meg 2: The Trench focused on the Chinese market rather than domestic success, which ultimately aided in surpassing initial challenges and achieving success at the box office.
The underwhelming performance of Meg 2: The Trench casts doubts on the feasibility of a Meg 3. However, if a sequel is greenlit, it should take note of the shortcomings of its predecessor and the MonsterVerse to provide audiences with the exhilarating B-movie experience they desire.
Screen Rant's Pitch Meeting series has now turned its attention towards Meg 2: The Trench, despite the film's success at the box office. This sequel to the 2018 monster flick follows the story of Jonas, played by Jason Statham, who is once again called upon to aid a team of scientists studying the Megalodons inhabiting the depths of the Mariana Trench. However, he must confront not only multiple large sharks but also other unleashed creatures. The cast of Meg 2: The Trench includes returning actors Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, and Cliff Curtis, as well as newcomers Wu Jing, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Skyler Samuels. The Pitch Meeting series decided to focus on this underwater adventure nearly a month after its theatrical release.
How Meg 2 Continued The Worst Recent Monster Movie Trend
The video above humorously highlights the various issues present in the shark sequel. Rather than featuring significant shark action, the film primarily focuses on human conflicts, notably an illegal mining operation. The new Pitch Meeting also acknowledges that both Meg 2: The Trench and its predecessor were not primarily aimed at the domestic market for financial gain, but instead targeted the Chinese market.
After receiving mixed feedback from its predecessor, the expectations for Meg 2: The Trench were not particularly high. However, the trailers hinted at a better grasp of the schlocky B-movie atmosphere that both critics and audiences had been hoping for, with Jason Statham facing off against formidable sharks. Unfortunately, the sequel fell short for critics, as it focused more on human characters rather than capitalizing on the thrilling potential that had been glimpsed towards the end of the original film.
Meg 2: The Trench's departure from the shark-centered excitement of its predecessor in favor of Jurassic Park-style dinosaurs and human conflict perpetuates the disappointing trend in recent monster movies of not fully capitalizing on the potential of their central ideas. Similarly, Legendary's MonsterVerse faced criticism and audience dissatisfaction with both Godzilla in 2014 and its 2019 follow-up, King of the Monsters, as their filmmakers attempted to engage viewers by focusing on potential victims rather than intense monster action.
Fortunately, the most recent entry in the MonsterVerse, Godzilla vs. Kong, fared better with both critics and audiences by finally embracing its kaiju-focused narrative, even though the portrayal of its human characters garnered mixed reactions. As Meg 2: The Trench struggles at the domestic box office but manages to recoup its costs internationally, the fate of a potential Meg 3 from Warner Bros. remains uncertain. If the third installment does move forward, it is crucial for the filmmakers to learn from the shortcomings of the sequel and the MonsterVerse as a whole, delivering the same enjoyable B-movie thrills that audiences have been longing for and reminiscent of films like Snakes on a Plane and Deep Blue Sea.
