The Next Big Fin

Jason Statham takes on a 70ft shark in The Meg, an outrageous, outlandish, OTT blockbuster that’s not taking itself too seriously. Total Film dons its wetsuit and takes a deep dive into the ‘Jurassic Shark’ monster movie that promises to be the most fun you’ll have all summer…

- Jamie Graham

The first thing you need to know about director Jon Turteltaub is that he has a champion sense of humour. On a sunny LA day in June, he greets Total Film with an infectious chuckle and says, “Are you sure you want to use the shark image on the cover of the magazine and not just my face?” So we suggest, “Maybe both? If your face is on it too, it will give perspective to the shark…” He mockgrimaces, before saying, “That won’t work. I have a 75-foot face.”

This glimpse into Turteltaub’s GSOH will give you a good idea of what to expect from The Meg, the giant-shark picture that’s looking to take a chomp out of the summer box office. Yes, it’s a monster movie and yes, it preys on primal fears to deliver suspenseful set-pieces, but it’s not trying to be Jaws.

“Jon’s sense of humour comes through on this,” confirms leading man Jason Statham, who, with this movie, goes up against a foe whose every tooth is the size of Dwayne Johnson’s head. “It’s no good him doing something that’s been done in the past. He has to find his own flavour. This smells of Jon because he’s a wisecrack kinda guy, always looking for a funny moment.”

But the film is no joke. Anyone expecting a gleefully silly mockbuster in the vein of the movies pumped out by The Asylum, the indie studio behind 2-Headed Shark Attack, Mega Piranha and the Sharknado movies, will be left all at sea. With a $150m budget, that would be an expensive stunt.