The Meg Parent Guide

In the depths of the Pacific Ocean lurks a sharp-toothed predator, ready to chomp on your desire to go swimming this summer! When a deep-sea research station, funded by Morris (Rainn Wilson) and operated by Zhang (Winston Chao) and his daughter, Suyin (Bingbing Lao), discovers a lowerlevel of the ocean, they encounter some unexpected creatures. After their submersible pod is damaged, it is up to Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), a burned-out rescue diver with a dark past, to save the crew from what lies beneath. Fortunately, the monsters of the deep are contained by a band of icy water near the ocean floor…for now.

As you might expect from a movie about a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark (the Megalodon), there is a lot of blood and gore. Dismembered limbs, an accidental stabbing, and various injuries associated with damaged ships and submarines are seen throughout. However, the violence is not overly gratuitous and is used mostly to further the plot. The sexual content is even less of an issue. One sexual pun is made between several adult characters, and Jason Statham is seen without his shirt. Otherwise, characters are dressed appropriately for their tasks, and the wetsuits are both mission-appropriate and seemingly unisex. Early on, the protagonist is seen on a drinking binge related to previous traumatic experiences. He sobers up and is not shown drinking for the rest of the film, with the implication that he has moved past his perceived need to rely on alcohol. And, for such an intense movie, there is less profanity than expected, although you will hear frequent mild swear words, terms of deity and scatological slang, along with a couple of moderate curses.

This is one of those summer releases that knows exactly what kind of movie it wants to be and really sticks the landing. The tension in some scenes was palpable in the theatre, and that’s not just because the 3D glasses were squishing my head. This film seems to have picked up on the idea that audiences will react more to the constant peril of the plot if the script has managed to make the characters likeable. None of the people on-screen are especially irritating, and the included child (Shuya Sophia Cai) is charming, smart, and funny. Even Jason Statham manages to be quite endearing in his role, which is a testament to the writing staff.

All in all, The Meg is well placed at PG-13, and it markets itself to that demographic of teenagers and youngadults. If your teen is especially sensitive to suspense or violence, this may be one to avoid. However, more thick-skinned viewers may enjoy taking a bite out of this thriller from the deep.