I read the book when it first came out in 1997, I was about 11 years old and already fascinated with Megalodon's. I've been waiting for this movie for a very long time and I'm not in the least bit disappointed with it aside from the opening scene simply because I had been waiting to see the book's opening on the big screen for a very long time. I was also initially disappointed and skeptical of the casting of Jason Statham as Jonas Taylor but was pretty surprised by him, thought he handled the film interpretation well.
I might get flak for this but one of the main disappointments I had was the shark itself, I never felt that it was as big or grandiose as it should have been (like I said, I've been waiting since 1997) however I'm sure that it will grow on me after I give it a few more watches and I probably just built it up way too much in my head. From what I heard of the score, it was fairly good, you're not going to get Jaws and that's perfectly fine. I think some of the cast was under utilised (Cliff Curtis, Rainn Wilson, Robert Taylor) while some were over used (Li Bingbing who...just really doesn't seem able to act her way out of a paper bag and that damn kid whoever she was).
It's not going to be an Oscar contender for Best Motion Picture, it was never going to be. And it's not going to be compared to Jaws either though some scenes may play out as being similar. For anybody who has seen Jaws 2, there's one scene where the shark emerges out of the water with a demonic looking grin on it's face before it munches down on some teenager - I feel that this film could have used a scene like that but imagine it was avoided on purpose.
Pretty fun film all the way through, it could have lost some of the "emotional" scenes but...a good film, can't really say it's a faithful adaptation of the novel but I'm pretty sure it will spike some sales that might head Steve Alten's way.
3/5
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Reply by HarrySkywalker
on August 26, 2018 at 10:03 PM
How the hell can you be disappointed with the size of the Megalodon from this movie when they vastly exaggerated its size?
The Megalodon, following the most realistic estimations, was 13 meters at max. In this movie they claim the Megalodon was between 21 and 27 meters long.
I personally love how they exaggerate the Meg size in these movies because it feels more exciting, however in reality it's absolutely laughable how so many people love to exaggerate everything regarding the Megalodon.
Reply by simian_ninja
on August 28, 2018 at 11:14 AM
I just had it built up in my head. No biggie.
Reply by jorgito2001
on August 28, 2018 at 3:08 PM
Its called the MOVIES! Look no further then Jurassic park for exageration on extinct animals...making them realistic would've made it BORING! Leave it be!
You still in a serious relationship with the T-Rex from your mom's basement in Portugal Harry? Rermember when the Spinosaurus broke its neck and killed it in JPIII?! You still CRYING over that one! HAHAHA...I remember you from the IMDB boards ya PUTZ! Now do us all a favor & STFU!
Reply by HarrySkywalker
on August 29, 2018 at 6:12 PM
No Jorgito, you stupid little kid.
You STFU because you're still crying your beloved Spino akas the GIANT DUCK gfot crushed and demolished in the horrendous and atrocious JP3!
Hahahahahaha! You are desperate!
Now do us all a favor and STFU, you idiot!!!
Bigger than this Meg is impossible.
Reply by jorgito2001
on August 31, 2018 at 4:26 PM
GASP..he called us FAT!!!
Yup, its you alright, I remember you calling the Spino a giant duck..but a duck that mauled a T-Rex's a$$!!!
But anyway, Meg was a fun movie...despite its unrealistic size...who's to say it didn't "evolve" in some way over the course of several million years too? BAM...problem solved. I is a genious!
Reply by AlienFanatic
on August 31, 2018 at 6:45 PM
I haven't seen the movie, and probably won't, but according to every resource I've seen (wiki, science blogs) it topped out at 18M, not 13. So closer to the low end of your "Meg" estimate. 60 feet is still a damn big shark. That's as long as the longest estimates for a Spinosaurus and significantly larger than the biggest intact T-Rex found so far (40ft.) Of course, being in the water they don't run into the physical limitations that land animals do, so they can grow a lot bigger.
Thats said, a Megalodon was still a big sucker.
Now, what I take issue with was the OP's opening statement that they "loved" a movie that they gave a 3/5 to. How can you LOVE a movie you gave a shitty score to? Even if it's a crappy movie, you'd score it 5/5 Would Watch Again/Name My Kid After/Is My New God or something.
Reply by HarrySkywalker
on August 31, 2018 at 9:08 PM
18 meters long is a total unrealistric estimation, it's just an extreme exaggeration. The Megalodon was like 13 meters at max.
And the T.Rex might have been bigger than the Spinosaurus aka THE GIANT DUCK. At least it was heavier.
Reply by simian_ninja
on October 12, 2018 at 9:28 AM
Because it's nothing beyond a summer popcorn brain dead popcorn film. I love it for what it is, which is a brain dead stupid movie. If I was to rate it compared to....Jaws or The Godfather or something, then it would probably be a 1/5.
Compare it to other brain dead summer popcorn movies like Pacific Rim or Transformers...films where you can turn your brain off, it's maybe a 2 or 3/5.
Calm down dude.
Reply by Midi-chlorian_Count
on October 12, 2018 at 11:24 AM
I thought it was pretty good & gave it 2/5 so I guess that's even more extreme!
3/5 is a decent score, and like @simian_ninja said a reasonably high rating for a summer blockbuster...
Reply by HarrySkywalker
on November 11, 2018 at 9:09 PM
I give the Meg an 8/10. That's very good.
Reply by jorgito2001
on November 12, 2018 at 10:32 AM
Your not an official critic Harry, no one gives a flying fudge! Go back to the Jurassic Park forums.
Reply by HarrySkywalker
on November 28, 2018 at 8:44 PM
Wrong Jorgito.
You are just an irrelevant fat old man with the mind of a little tiny kid.
Nobody gives a crap about your retardness!
Go back to the asylum!
Reply by HarrySkywalker
on December 10, 2018 at 8:56 PM
No Jorgito, you stupid little kid.
You STFU because you're still crying your beloved Spino akas the GIANT DUCK gfot crushed and demolished in the horrendous and atrocious JP3!
Hahahahahaha! You are desperate!
Now do us all a favor and STFU, you idiot!!!
Reply by Tsavo
on September 14, 2020 at 8:33 AM
Uh... no. I have no idea where you got your information, but you're completely wrong. High-end estimates for Carcharodon Megalodon were indeed 18 meters (in reality, based on what we have found), and while not stated in the film (in which the size is indeed exaggerated) in addition to the book, it is assumed that the species increased in size over intervening years of evolution. Given that the story is fiction, a larger size can be allowed. It's not a great exaggeration on their part. Not as bad as it might have been at any rate.
Second, you're also incorrect RE: Tyrannosaurus Vs. Spinosaurus. It is pretty clear that Spinosaurus was at least longer, though its proper height and stance is still currently under debate. Either way, even if Spinosaurus Aegypticus was "larger", Tyrannosaurus was absolutely stronger.
Reply by HarrySkywalker
on September 15, 2020 at 8:21 PM
No, not at all.
The T. Rex was clearly heavier and stronger and bulkier than the Spinosaurus and it seems some individuals were actually longer than the Spinosaurus. And in a fight between them the T.Rex would crush the Spinosaurus pretty easily.
And you're also incorrect regarding the Megalodon. The Megalodon was not 18 meters long at all. It was basically 10 meters or so.