Ever since Jaws caused audiences to be afraid of going back into the water in 1975, the concept of rampaging sharks has been a staple in the horror, thriller and science fiction genres, often blurring the lines between them. And while the topic of today’s discussion isn’t nearly as over the top as the likes of Sharknado, Sharktopus and Ghost Shark, it’s certainly been generating its share of online buzz lately.
We are, of course, talking about The Meg. In it, “a deep-sea submersible—part of an international undersea observation program—has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific…with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep-sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao) to save the crew—and the ocean itself—from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon.”
As mentioned above, for months now, there’s been a steady stream of buzz building around the pic, with horror fans everywhere eagerly anticipating another shark film after the fairly enjoyable 47 Meters Down. Granted, The Meg will be quite a bit different, but still, there’s much to look forward to here and now, as the film approaches its summer release date, the first trailer has been unleashed, finally giving moviegoers a good idea of what awaits them.
This being just the very first preview, Warner Bros. is smart not to show us too much, with only brief teases of the titular shark appearing throughout. It’s enough to get us on board, though, with the trailer painting a picture of what appears to be a very fun summer ride. One which will no doubt fall into the “mindless entertainment” category, but also one which will surely send you away from the theater scared to go back into the water all over again.
Thankfully, it also looks as if The Meg knows better than to take itself too seriously. It’s no secret that the entire premise is a bit ridiculous/bonkers and from what we can see here, everyone involved is aware of that and fully leaning into it. In fact, all things considered, the pic looks like a real blast and could be a sleeper hit this summer at the box office.
Look for The Meg to swim onto cinema screens later this year, on August 10th. Until then, be sure to leave your thoughts on this first bit of footage in the comments section down below.