There's trouble at the bottom of the ocean and only one man can help rescue those deep in trouble. His name is Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham). Jonas used to rescue people in deep water but not anymore. Not after a horrible incident that left him shaken and leaving the trade. Now they have pulled him back in when his ex-wife is the one that needs to be saved. Jonas finds his ex-wife and an incredible living fossil that could wipe out anything in or on the ocean.

So, if you haven't heard anything about this movie, your not paying attention. Meg, the book has been making the rounds for years and it finally got put on the big screen. The book was a fun summer read and I could only imagine what modern CGI could do to a story like this one. The result is a fun, comical (on purpose), action shark movie. Where Jaws was played as a drama, The Meg plays out as a 'wink and nod' action film. The Meg is self aware. There is no way you can replicate the success and drama of JAWS and The Meg doesn't even try. Yes, there are some homages to JAWS and plenty of other 'ocean' themed films. That's what makes it fun.

The best part of the film is the banter between Jonas and Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai). Meiying is the daughter of Jonas' love interest and steals almost every scene. She and Jonas have a great relationship from the start and it only grows towards the end.

Is there some deep meaning behind this film? No really and it's really not intended to. There are so many plot holes that after some time you just ignore them as beautiful scenes of the enormous shark fill the screen. And that's why you are really there. You want to see the giant shark, you want to see him eat some people...maybe a boat or maybe an entire horde of beach goers. Either way, this movie is harmless and yet enjoyable as a big production, high dollar movie. This isn't your Syfy movie of the week. This is great CGI that shows a 70 foot shark in all it's brilliance.

Ok...let me answer some question for you:
Is it dumb? Yes, but in a good way...it knows it's dumb and embraces it.
Is is gory? Most of the gore was edited out, so no, hardly any.
Is it bad? It depends on your expectations...they setup the story with likable characters and then we are off shark hunting...it delivers what was advertised.
Where does it rank with other shark movies?
#1 JAWS
#2 JAWS 2
#3 Deep Blue Sea
#4 The Meg
#5 The Shallows

Worst Shark movies:
JAWS:The Revenge
Deep Blue Sea 2
Fill in your syfy Shark movie of the week (i.e. Ghost Shark, Sand Shark, Planet of Sharks, etc.)

All that to say, if you like shark movies...I think you'll like this one. It could have been played straight and with an 'R' rating but I think they made the right choice keeping it PG-13. Maybe the blu-ray will have the 'R' rated version. For now, The Meg could be a summer surprise for most who just want to chomp on some popcorn at that movies. It's still safe to go into the water.