REVIEW: The Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

 DISCLAIMER: This review contains affiliate links. Clicking on any of the images below will take you to either Play-Asia, J-List or 365 Games for your consideration.

Who doesn’t like a shark movie, huh?

PLOT

We go back to Mana One, where Jonas is now an eco-terrorist and the custodian of Meiying, who is also joined by Jiuming, who is Meiying’s uncle and is the inventor of a type of exo-suit that will allow them to explore the trench under the thermal cloud, the home of the Meg.

As expected, they dive down past the thermal cloud, but Jiuming’s pet Meg Haiqi has gotten free, and also joins them on their journey. While in the Trench, they notice there is a base station there, and there are some nefarious looking characters who are mining for rare earth minerals.

A scuffle ensues, resulting in an explosion that causes a hole to be teared in the thermal cloud, allowing multiple Megs and other creatures to breach the surface

It’s now a race against time to stop the megs and other creatures before they cause chaos on Fun Island.

TALKING POINTS

I learnt a value lesson again – never anticipate a movie, because it will always disappoint you.

I’m going to try a compliment sandwich review, where ill talk about something good, then the bad stuff and try and end with something good again.

First up, it’s kinda of a fun movie and the visual effects are pretty damn good. Don’t let anyone tell you any different, and with the exception of a few weird things like the mega-octopus, everything looks pretty damn good.

But, I signed up to watch a monster film about sharks, not a film about cartoon character bad guys who are mining the deep ocean for rare earth minerals to sell for billions of dollars. And I didn’t sign up for an action film either. The movie starts with a stupid scene on a ship with all this ridiculous fighting that seems out of character for Jonas, and then ends up with a shoot out that looks even more out of place for the characters. It’s like Statham has looked at his role in Wrath of Man and Wu Jing looked at his role as Wolf Warrior and they’ve brought it into this movie, forgetting that the audience is here for the damn sharks.

This feels very much like a Chinese monster movie. And while they are fun, they’re always heavy handed with their social messages, and it weird to see a movie like this – and I acknowledge it’s a co-production – with these environmental messages. That’s the Chinese government’s fingerprints all over this movie, and it’s clear that the producers were cool to allow it to happen.

What’s worse is that there is a perfectly good subplot here that this movie should have been about – and that is Meg mating scene. Firstly, who ever built the tank to hold the captive Haiqi Meg in should be fired. Who builds a waste hatch in a shark enclosure the same size, or bigger than the damn shark its holding? Of course, it was going to break out. Then, who writes a sub plot about potential shark mating then decides the movie should have a series of bad guys and lots of action, completely forgetting about the sharks. And the sharks go missing for huge chunks of this films.

The first Meg was fun because it was about Man vs Shark – but Meg 2 is about man vs evil man who likes to mine, oh and then there are some sharks. And a damn octopus. Where did the octopus come from?

In order to complete the compliment sandwich, I would like to mention that I appreciated the little call back to the first movie with Pippin the small dog and the bride who panics over him. For some reason, she is now husbandless. Also, why does this movie end in a similar location to the first movie. First movie had the tourist location of Sanya Island, and this one ends on Fun Island.

What are my overall thoughts?

So, with a heavy heart, I struggle to go beyond 2 stars. And I really wanted to give it more and not be one of those negative Nancy YouTube reviews, but the movie is what it is. It’s a Chinese action movie masquerading as a shark film, completely by accident, starring the hottest actor in China with thankfully complimented with pretty damn good visual effects.

What a shame, because I wanted a shark movie. I wanted The Meg but more.

---

For your consideration: Clicking on these shopping links below and buying an item supports my work and keeps it free for everyone! Thank you for your support:

J-LIST: For Japanese pop culture items, including games, movies and adult products. Beware of NSFW content.

365 Games: Direct from the UK! Get great deals on the latest games, music, movies, toys, clothes and more!

Play-Asia: For the latest games, movies, figures, books, lifestyle products and other cool stuff direct from Asia! Great prices and low shipping.

---

Genre Monster Movie Horror
Director Ben Wheatley
Starring Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai
Original Title 巨齿鲨2：深渊
Alterative Title The Meg 2: The Trench
Country of Origin China and USA
Release Date August 4 2023 (August 3 in Australia!)

BORN TO FLY - Trailer and Reaction video!

It returns, like a phoenix from the ashes! Pulled from release at the last minute back in September of 2022, this fighter jet movie from China bares more than a passing resemblance to a certain Tom Cruise blockbuster.

Chinese netizens were brutal! Their feedback was harsh! So the movie was delayed and the special effects were re-worked into what we see below. 

Check out the new trailer released today (23/3/2022) and then check out my reaction video and then join in the fun in the comments section! This is going to get brutal....ly funny! 

Genre Action Drama
Director Liu Xiaoshi
Starring Yibo Wang, Hu Jun, Dongyu Zhou
Original Title 长空之王
Country of Origin China
Release Date 28 April 2023

NINJA VS SHARK - Trailer and Reaction video!

If there is one country we can trust for insanity, it would have to be Japan, right? This trailer shows the sum of that awesomeness where director Koichi Sakamoto of Girls Blood and the Ultraman TV Series fame has managed to combine ninja and sharks together for one movie.

And as you'll see from the trailer and my reaction video, it's damn awesome

Genre Horror Action Martial Arts Awesome
Director Koichi Sakamoto
Starring Kohshu Hirano, Shun Nishime
Original Title 妖獣奇譚 ニンジャVSシャーク
Country of Origin Japan
Release Date April 14 2023

Should You Watch... MUMUN? An Indonesian Comedy Horror from 2023

Mumun is a very popular woman. After her father rejects the third marriage proposal for her, she pushes her boyfriend to hurry up. While at a party, Mumun received an SMS from a debt collector telling her she owns them 50 Million Rupiah – side note: that approximately $5K Australian dollars.

Problem is she never borrowed the money – her identical twin Mimin did, using her ID.

When Mumum fails to pay back the debt in time, she is harassed by the boss who also has a crush on her. While attempted to do some funny business with her, she escapes from his car but is hit and killed by a truck.

However, as should be tradition in the Muslim father, Hussein the gravedigger forgets to untie her shroud rope, which would allow her spirit to enter the afterlife.

Annoyed, and returning to Earth as Pocong – which is a kind of Muslim zombie – she haunts her attackers until Hussein can help her out.

MY THOUGHTS

Kinda doesn’t really sound funny, right? It sounds a bit silly – but probably not funny.

A lot of the movie relies on a form of slapstick type humour – and no doubt a lot of dialogue is lost in the translation, so really there is no guarantee that the jokes are coming through in English the way they’re intended

The story itself is quite endearing – Mumun has a lovely family life and boyfriend and there are scenes where it shows she is well loved in their village – to the point where her boyfriend calls all her fans “Mumunaholics” and other kinds of wacky nicknames.

But the film has a bit of a dark side, and a strange violent streak but those who like comedy horror might not really get into.

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Comedy Horror
Director Rizal Mantovani
Starring Acha Septriasa, Dimas Aditya
Original Title Mamun
Country of Origin Indonesia
Release Date September 1 2022

Should You Watch... RE/MEMBER? Netflix's Latest J-Horror aka Karada Sagashi (Japan 2022)

Six classmates at a high school find themselves in the school chapel at exactly midnight. A young girl clutching a soft toy and soaked in blood brutally murders them all.

But they awake the following morning in a loop. They are repeating the same day.

With the help of one of the classmates, the work out they are stuck in the Body Search game, where their task is to find all the body parts of a murdered girl and assemble them in a coffin located in the chapel.

But if the little girl catches them and they all die before the task is complete, they need to do it all again.

Working together, and developing a sense of friendship, they devise strategies on how to assemble the body and how to defeat the mutated red monster chasing them every night.

MY THOUGHTS

This was the top Japanese horror movie of 2022, and the third highest grossing Asian horror film of 2022. Based on a web novel, this movie has cool concept.

It’s a shame that it will be remembered (groan) by it’s Netflix title rather than its Japanese one, but at least we get to see it.

The plot sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? It’s Happy Death Day, or depending on how old you are, its Groundhog day, but I’ve never read the web novel this is based on, so I can’t comment on how close it sticks to the source material. This review will be based on the movie only.

The biggest thing is I am glad to finally watch it. This was the movie that trounced Sadako DX at the box office, so there is a lot of interest behind this

First let’s see the movie did right:

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Horror Thriller
Director Eiichiro Hasumi
Starring Kanna Hashimoto, Gordon Maeda
Original Title カラダ探し
Alternative Title Karada Sagashi, Find My Body, Body Search
Country of Origin Japan
Release Date October 14 2022

Should You Watch... KUMANTHONG 2 JACKPOT ISLAND? A ridiculously unnecessary sequel (Vietnam)

Just to prove it has tenuous links to the previous film, this movie picks up after the conclusion of the first movie. Ffresh after killing her murderous husband, A now pregnant Soi and her dad board a boat to an island to start a new life.

But desperate for her children to see the face of their father, she starts to practice black magic howver is stopped by her father. But not soon enough, as it unleashes a new, terrible curse on the island.

Fast forward around 30 years later, and a group of friends lead by a woman with a severe leg injury, her adopted sister, her boyfriend, a magician and two travel guides/Instagram streamer idiots head to the island for her birthday.

Lo and behold, things start to happen on this cursed island. Visions are experienced, death occurs, the truth is revealed and more weak links to the first movie are shoehorned in to remind you that there is a better movie out there you should be watching

MY THOUGHTS

Where do you start with this disaster?

Firstly the first movie didn’t need a sequel, since it was based on a real event. So making it a sequel is shoehorning characters into an original story

That’s what this is – this is a modern style horror movie about annoying people who film everything they do. Luckily its not found footage

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Horror Thriller
Director Lê Bình Giang
Starring Tran Nghia, Sam
Original Title Đảo Độc Đắc - Tử Mẫu Thiên Linh Cái
Alternative Title Jackpot Island: Kumanthong Returns
Country of Origin Vietnam
Release Date December 12 2022

Should You Watch... SAKRA? Donnie Yen's First Movie of 2023 - Is It Any Good? (Hong Kong) 天龍八部之喬峰傳

A series of high profile murders occur where clan leader Kiu Feng seems to be the main culprit. Desperate to clear his name and prove he is innocent, he leaves his clan – well more like is he forced out of the position – and comes across a face-changing thief called Zhu.

She gets critically injured while Kiu Feng is fighting, and he vows to take her to a medical practitioner. At the same time he makes a promise to her to reunite her with her family.

But the clans and masters keep hunting down Kiu Feng as they discover his blood family are actual their mortal enemies, which leads to a showdown with both the people who killed Kiu Feng’s parents and the people who set him up.

MY THOUGHTS

To be honest I don’t know if I have captured the story correctly as I’ve never seen the original movies or series, nor have I read the book, so I went into this one completely fresh in the story department

But one thing I am is a fan of Donnie Yen movies – especially more of his mid naughties content as that’s when I really got into his movies with the first Ip Man movies.

I’ve missed a lot of his pre-Ip Man movies, which means I’ve missed a lot of his more fantasy and wuxia style flicks.

However, I know a bad movie when I see it, and quite frankly this one is terrible.

If I was to try and put my finger on what was bad, unfortunately it all comes back to one thing – Donnie Yen. 

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Wuxia Action
Director Wai-Man Cheng, Donnie Yen
Starring Donnie Yen, Cya Liu, Kara Hui
Original Title 天龙八部之乔峰传
Alternative Title Demi Gods and Semi Devils
Country of Origin Hong Kong
Release Date January 19 2023 (Hong Kong), January 16 2023 (Malaysia)

Should You Watch... JAILANGKUNG SANDEKALA? Kimo Stamboel's Creepy Jungle Spirit Doll Spin-off!

A family on a road trip stops by a picturesque lake to take a rest when their youngest child, Kinan, mysteriously goes missing after he interacts with a strange looking doll.

With the help of the local police, a search team looks for him, but Sandra, his mother, and Niki, his step-sister, start to experience supernatural incidents after Niki retrieves the same doll.

Alongside the police chief’s nephew Faisal, Niki investigates the parallel’s between Kinan’s disappearance and the cases of other missing children until she opens up a portal belonging to the spirit who is responsible.

MY THOUGHTS

Going into this movie with the understand that Kimo Stamboel is the director, one half of the famous Mo Brothers duo, was enough to get my attention. I loved his previous film Macabre, so my expectation was hoping it would something closer to that than his other 2022 film Ivanna.

This movie is a spin-off of the previous Jailangkung films, in where a doll is used as a catalyst to call the spirit of a departed loved one. Or in this movie, it’s also used as a lure to capture unsuspecting young children.

Being set in the forest, the movie oozes atmosphere. From the heavy rains to the mould-soaked interiors of the house, there is an immense feeling of dread throughout the film, intensified by brief horror scenes involving bodies with twisted necks. These bits are quite hair raising.

Watch the video for my full review

DETAILS

Genre Supernatural Horror
Director Kimo Stamboel
Starring Syifa Hadju, Dwi Sasono, Titi Kamal
Original Title Jailangkung Sandekala
Country of Origin Indonesia
Release Date September 22 2023