Jason Statham has faced some brutish adversaries over the years. Taking on a prehistoric shark for a second time in 2023 was a stretch too far for critics, but audiences couldn’t get enough of one of the most ridiculous creature features in years. Now, The Meg 2: The Trench is sinking its teeth into the Prime Video streaming chart as it has swam to the number one spot.
The Meg was just the kind of B-movie creature feature it was promoted as, with Statham going all out as a cheesy, pumped-up counterpart to Jaws‘ Martin Brody – or perhaps he was more like Robert Shaw’s Quint – taking on the mother of all monster fish again. Although its reviews sucked more than a limpet, the film chomped up cinemas with a $529 million box office. That guaranteed a sequel, which, in turn, meant that everything from the first film had to be ramped up to 11.
The Meg 2: The Trench arrived five years later, with Statham returning to face off with another mother-flipper of the Mariana Trench in an adaptation of Steve Alten’s 1999 sequel to his original “Meg” novel. As if the plot is really of any concern for a movie where everyone just wants to see a mean-as-hell gigantic shark eating people, the synopsis reads:
“Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time.”
‘The Meg 2’ Delivered More Sharks for Fans
The beauty of Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws is that the film features hardly any appearances by the killer shark, thanks mainly to well-documented technical difficulties with “Bruce” the mechanical shark. While that pinnacle of shark movies became a taught masterclass in suspense, the draw of The Meg franchise is seeing a fearsome CGI shark going on the rampage in some unbelievable set-pieces, and The Meg 2 delivered just that.
While the film’s critical score dropped to a pitiful 27%, audiences were much happier with The Meg 2 than its predecessor, resulting in a 72% rating. One review called it, “An absolute blast of high budget camp,” while another adding that if you want “a movie that isn’t trying to be a comedy but is just hilariously ridiculous, you have come to the right place.” However, there are a hefty amount of dreaded one-star reviews, which slam the “worst movie of the year,” which was “one of the most stupid movies made in the last decade.”
Jason Statham is a man who does not really do subtle movies, and most of his fans know exactly what they are going to get when they take their seat to watch a movie where his name leads the credits. The Meg 2 delivered for those people, and while there has been no word on a third movie, it is always hard to rule out such a thing happening in the future.
Jason Statham Returns to Cinemas Soon In ‘Shelter’
While he seems to have left monster sharks behind, Jason Statham is still churning out new movies. His latest offering is Shelter, which hits cinemas on Jan. 30, 2026. The synopsis for Shelter reads:
“On a remote coastal island, a reclusive man rescues a young girl from a deadly storm, drawing them both into danger. Forced out of isolation, he must confront his turbulent past while protecting her, sending them on a tense journey of survival and redemption.”
Can we expect another round of crowd-pleasing, critic-defying action madness from Statham in his new movie? Of course, we can, and soon after its theatrical run it will join the likes of The Beekeeper, and now The Meg 2: The Trench, in finding a huge audience when it comes to streaming.
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