4k Movie, Streaming, Blu-Ray Disc, and Home Theater Product Reviews & News (2024)

Overview -

Bigger. Dumber. Balder. Jason Statham jumps back into the water to take on the most lethal prehistoric killer in Meg 2: The Trench. The film’s a bit long in the tooth but once the creature-crunching mayhem begins, the film finds its pace for a silly over-the-top summer thrill ride that’s as entertaining as it is stupid. On 4K UHD, Meg 2: The Trench scores an excellent Dolby Vision transfer with equally excellent Atmos audio to match. If you love big dumb summer fun -Worth A Look

Back for seconds!“Meg 2: The Trench” is the summer’s highly anticipated next chapter of the global blockbuster that returns to the big screen with Jason Statham once again headlining and now partnered with Wu Jing, star of five of the ten highest- grossing films in China. Our unstoppable heroes battle a frenzy of ferocious Megs, led by the biggest Meg ever, along with new, never- before-seen creatures in a monstrously-sized action thriller. Featuring jaw-dropping effects, edge-of-your-seat thrills and high-octane battles, “Meg 2: The Trench” is a summer joyride at its combustible best!

• The Making of “Meg 2: The Trench”–Cast and crew revisit the making of the film and working with newand returning cast members, then highlight the beauty andchallenges of working with a Meg they can't see!?
• Up From the Depths: Even More Beasts -Director Ben Wheatley, cast and producers guide fans through thecreation and design of the new creatures seen in “Meg 2: The Trench”

Ranking:

Jason Statham returns as Jason Statham pretending to be action-man oceanographer Jonas Taylor. Years after the events of the first film, Jonas and his pal Mac (Cliff Curtis) find themselves rounding up illegal waste dumpers for billionaire Jiuming Zhang (Jing Wu) and his research facility. There they’ve built a state-of-the-art exo-suit capable of withstanding the crushing depths of the Trench so they can explore deeper than ever before - while also hosting the only Meg in captivity and training it. On this latest trip to the trench, they discover the biggest Megs ever seen - and a deep mining facility threatening the entire ecosystem. When things go bad – as they always do – enormous lethal creatures of the deep will return to the surface with no one to stop them… except for Jason Statham doing what Jason Statham does best and that’s Stathaming.

While I still wonder what Eli Roth’s mega-budgeted gore-fest version of The Meg could have looked like before it was turned into a PG-13 family-friendly summer flick, I have to say I’ve enjoyed myself. John Turtletaub got the giant shark carnage rolling with a dumb-but-fun first film. A very loose adaptation of the Steve Alten novel, it had plenty of action, big visual effects, and the right amount of Statham badassery to coast by for some summer creature feature cinema. Not a great film, but fun.

And now we come to Meg 2: The Trench from director Ben Wheatley and “big” is the name of the name of the game. Bigger sharks, more sharks, and more weird wild creatures to wreak havoc across the oceans, or at least one little square area in the South China Sea. Still not great but still fun, this sequel more or less repeats a lot of the greatest chomps of the first film while adding some non-descript mercenary pirates fish fodder led by Sergio Peris-Mencheta. What are their goals, what are their motivations? Money – I guess? It’s not really spelled out, but the point is there are more people for our prehistoric monsters to munch on. Oh yeah, and Statham is still doing his Statham thing only now on a Jet Ski with explosive harpoons!

Much like the first film, it’s best not to think about Meg 2: The Trench too hard. Trying to understand the science of the exo-suits that look like they were stolen from the first G.I. Joe movie will give you a headache let alone any of the other plot machinations. So on that note, if you enjoyed the first film, do what you did back in 2018 and turn off the brain. Rollercoasters don’t make much sense and neither does this ride. It’s a whole mess of hokum that you’ll either enjoy the hell out of or rush to turn it off. I had fun with it, no denying that, but one of these days I would still love to see a full-toothed bloody carnage-fueled shark flick with a nice big budget and plenty of gore to match.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Meg 2: The Trench surfaces for a single-disc 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release from Warner Bros. Pressed on a BD-66 disc, the disc is housed in a standard sturdy case with a slipcover. Digital slip is also included. The disc loads to Warner Bros. basic static image main menu with basic navigation system.

Ranking:

Riding the waves onto 2160p, Meg 2: The Trench breaches the depths for a pretty damned beautiful Dolby Vision transfer. With crisp clean details, the transfer lets you appreciate all of the grizzled facial features, beautiful scenic locations, and those goofy exo-suits. Given how much CGI trickery was involved, some of the bigger effects shots can look pretty weightless and just plain fake. But I will say that some of the glory effects shots, especially for the big Meg, can look pretty damn great.

The Dolby Vision grade is right on point giving full attention to blacks, primaries, and crisp whites. A lot of the film takes place down in the titular trench and most of the available light is bright red. The HDR grade nicely highlights that bright primary while allowing for full deep inky blacks and shadows to surround our little cadre of submerged heroes. Blues and yellows see plenty of attention once the carnage moves to the surface. All around a lovely image for this flick but frustratingly you can see how the film was framed and intended for 3D. There are a number of shots, especially the climax, where it’s just obvious you’re supposed to be seeing the action with a set of glasses on. Sadly at this time, there are no 3D Blu-ray offers available globally, but worry not, we’ll keep our eyes peeled.

Ranking:

True to form, Meg 2: The Trenchscores a terrific Atmos audio mix. From the film’s prehistoric dinosaur-filled opening to the big action-packed climax, the film is wall-to-wall surround sound with often impressive height use. When our heroes are zipping around in their little subs, the whirling of rotors or rising air bubbles floating through the channels and up into the heights. When the action-packed third act kicks in the mix really gets to work. Throughout dialog and screams of terror are well-prioritized without getting lost in the mayhem. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is fully engaging while letting those low ominous tones add a little extra rumble in the subs for a nice range of LFE. All around a terrific mix that works perfectly for this flick.

Ranking:

Much like the first film’s disc release, bonus features aren’t much of anything to speak of. We get a pair of measly featurettes which combined barely amount to 20 minutes of content.

• The Making of Meg 2: The Trench (HD 13:02)
• Up From the Depths: Even More Beasts (HD 9:40)

No, Meg 2: The Trench isn’t a great movie by any stretch, but it was welcome diverting fun. It knows what it is and leans into the absurdity full force letting Jason Statham do what he does best. Since this film performed fairly well globally, don’t be too shocked if Statham isn’t oiling up his noggin for one more shark adventure in the near future. I’d take more of these films over another disaster like Expend4bles any day. While not a great film, the 4K scores a pretty well damn near demo-worthy A/V with excellent Dolby VIsion-enhanced video and an intense Atmos track to match. Bonus features are par for Warner Bros these days which is not much to speak of. If you’re a fan you’ll love it. If you’re a newcomer, well, don’t be shocked by what you see, yee be warned about this here fishy flick. Worth A Look

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