iTunes Exclusive Episode The Meg
Rob, Chad, and Don review The Meg, a Jason Statham shark film based on Steve Alten's 1997 novel about a massive prehistoric megalodon. The hosts discuss the film's departure from source material, its underwater CGI, jump scares, and overall entertainment value, concluding it's a fun popcorn movie that doesn't take itself seriously despite the book's more serious tone.
About this episode
Key takeaways
- The film doesn't closely follow the book but works as a fun monster movie if you leave your brain at the door
- You don't see the meg for about 45 minutes, paying homage to Jaws
- The underwater CGI and bioluminescent environments were visually impressive
- The film relies heavily on jump scares that may overshadow the monster itself
Q&A
What is The Meg about?
Jason Statham plays Jonas Taylor, a discredited rescue diver who must save people trapped in an underwater research platform when a massive prehistoric megalodon shark appears.
How does the film compare to the book?
The movie takes significant liberties from Steve Alten's 1997 novel, not treating the story as seriously as the source material does.
Who else stars in the film?
The cast includes Ryan Wilson as a billionaire funding the expedition, Ruby Rose, Masioka from Heroes, Sophia Kai in her second role, and Page Kennedy.
Would the hosts watch it again?
Yes—Don would see it at a Saturday matinee, and Chad would pay for a premium format like Dolby or IMAX.
Read Transcript
Music Music Music Music Music Music Are you the versus two groomed? Are you reading empire member and or members? It's Rob saying hello to you and being thanking you for being a part of the empire because this means you subscribe to the clubhouse podcast and your favorite podcast app and we're greatly appreciative of that because we are your one stop shop for all things pop culture.
We do a weekly show, plus we always do these things we also call iTunes exclusive. This is number 412 for those of you playing the home game. My name is Rob, I am the executive producer of the clubhouse podcast and I would just like to say the following, shut up Meg.
But I'm not alone sitting in the co-host chair is my co-host and a man that if you put a shark in a movie that's modeled after a book he's going to be there. The book thing is the key. He is Chad.
Welcome to this is very true. This will all be explained. See next to him is the official fact checker of this show and a man who lived most of his life landlocked so he never had to worry about sharks.
You may know him as fond on go but his mom and even Don Ford I'm going to call him Don Ford and welcome sir. You know why as a kid they told me that there were sharks in flathead bike and I believed him which is the biggest like a monster evolution. Well they said there's the myth of the shark he probably also still believes in the great pumpkin so there's the hey you need a great pumpkin along yeah you need a great pumpkin along whatever we do one of these it is to review something this is no exception.
It's time to talk to Meg for a circus whole thing yes sir we got to think JT and live everybody elevens and our friends they do such a great job was we love our vendors they take care of us and let us see movies early so we can talk to you guys about them and tell you our thoughts so you can spend your entertainment dollar wisely so here's what you need to know. Based on a book then when did the book come out chap 97 okay so this is fairly recent this isn't you know I was at this 20 years ago but still more than another shark movie right so so the Meg is is the Megladon the Megadon correct carcaret on Megadon yes it's a dinosaur it's a shark it's a shark a sore it's a dinosaur I don't even know but it's big and it's sharky and it lives in the water very much okay. So Jason Statham plays Jonas Taylor Jonas Taylor that's not the same it's like a gunslinger yeah it kind of does so he's a guy who he goes on a rescue mission after another failed rescue mission it's kind of that whole I can't go and see anymore because something failed and I have to do it again but it's because is it his ex that's involved in this excavation that goes horribly wrong yeah there there's it's he's he's discredited actually but because no one believes that he saw what he saw that he that what caused this what he thinks causes they think there's no way that you're you've you've lost it at any point does he say gee not a main I don't think so I will say this after the event he stays by the sea though yeah he doesn't leave it like he's on Thailand on living on the beach and own some boats but never got back to what he was doing yeah because he just he still had the roots he just can leave the water he just dives into the bottle and doesn't come back up okay and it stays by the sea though and then yes another another this you know fast forward five years from the opening right you know prologue and they have I say they this entity this corporate entity has created this research platform in the middle of the ocean to go deeper underwater than anyone's ever gone before because they think there's another layer underneath a layer that isn't really the bottom because as we know we've only explored one percent of our oceans in reality right so yeah yeah it's read by Ryan Morse which is Ryan Wilson from the office Ryan Wilson Ryan Wilson joint group yes I said but he's like the billionaire guy who he's funding the whole expedition kind of thing he's kind of a Martin Schreley type yeah so things go wrong stay stay thumbs the only guy that can save them now does at any point does he look at them as they're being attacked and does he say why would he say that he's saying that to the shark because it's sharks not coming at it and no he's kind of outclassed in this masioka from heroes is in this as well so I tend to defer on all things shark movie to you yes because jaws was the first movie I really fell in love with as a kid I mean I saw it in a theater when I was five going on six me too and I've been intrigued ever since sharks in the water yeah aren't sure sharks in the sauce are sharks and flathead like to eat a big boat so I know and I know you're a fan of it I apparently there's now a sixth book in the series oh yeah Steve Alton has not slowed down he's he's cranking these things out by the boat so that mean this is a series like the one I don't doubt not even intentional I'm so sorry you should have told me I was not ready for that I'm so sorry I'm ashamed of myself right now okay I'll give you this yes thank you here you go but you laughed that you shut up so let let's just just ask the question now the way because you you've said in your written review currently located at www.theclubhousepodcast.com that's our website that there's definitely some liberties taken from the book yes in some of them are kind of perplexing do you see this as setting up a franchise well I mean I know they've got the they've got the foundation laid for a franchise if it succeeds I don't think it's really up to yeah if it does well enough do you see them franchise oh absolutely okay yeah I'm sure in every studio is looking for their next big no again no pun intended monster franchise that they can just crank out directed by John Turtletob Mr.
National Treasure indeed a more of a protector um has ruby rose from john wick ruby rose who recently announced to be your batwoman on cw as well she's going to be playing batwoman on and starting on arrow and then going into her own show does it does it live up to the hype in a way yes and in a way no if you if you come at this and I and I know this is kind of like the same thing we dealt with with ready player one if you come at this as a huge fan of the book expecting a a I didn't expect a precise translation you're you're not going to get it um but if you come at it with just the expectations of I just want to have fun watching a big monster fish swim around and chew people up and Jason state them look at it very angrily and punch it in the face you're going to get down here and I'm going to punch you in the face you know I mean I'm going to rip your bloody head off you know I kept waiting for that but uh it's it is I was entertained by it and nobody at any point says shut up mech no okay then this is a failure to me no what did I say on our last full bone episode if I don't get a shut up mech reference I'm going to be very disappointed well then you're you're basically setting yourself up at this appointment dad coming I mean I know you're not going to see this thing anyway because it's really not your cup of tea no no no no but it's right in my wheelhouse and I was fully expecting to be disappointed by it I really was because I was like no I was such a fan of this book that there's no way they're going to get it right and they didn't really get it a hundred percent right but in spite of it I enjoyed it anyway the crowd was way and just wasn't you know because you're asking him the the base foundation he is our shark movie correspondent yeah well all right now I I enjoyed it it really showed the shots underwater well like you thought you're in the ocean and I was watching him on some of this stuff and people were it like him being in the navy and stuff I think I made a favorite homage to him being out in the ocean and all that kind of stuff um because I know that's the shark's house really it flat head like but also the thing I saw a lot of people in this film do look about this discreet the scary parts that jump out and people have their eyes are like this I don't know it's audio me but they're covering their eyes and stuff like that this is a visual I know I said they're covering their eyes like they're like they're in a scary movie but I thought maybe they tried that jump scare thing a little too much in this film Chad your thoughts on that that's one of the things that kind of let me down because the the mega as a novel is supposed to be taken somewhat seriously the movie clearly is not taking it all that serious but as you referenced in your written review not on the level of deep blue sea right or the infamous shark NATO right it doesn't go whatever you at that's at www dot the clubhouse podcast dot com that's our website she'll somebody has to visually I I like this film I thought there were some pre things kind of taken from the more famous shark film and that's going to happen yeah that's unavoidable that's fan service like one I think when I kind of one of the posters well apparently one one thing they did I thought was you don't see the big shark for about 45 minutes I mean let's be just like in in jobs let's just call it just like in any monster and you have the little beach scene with the kids out there just like in jaws um so I mean there were some things where I think they either paid homage or they ripped off which I put my written V.R.W.W.W. dot the clubhouse podcast dot com that's our website I put that it depends on how you look at it wasn't a rip off or paying homage it depends on let's ask our our sharks movie corresponded how did you see it I would see it as more of a a tip of the hat and show of respect to what came before I mean even even piranha had richer dry for what about piranha 3D that's what I'm talking about okay that's the remake the remake opened with dry face basically playing Matt Hooper and the thing about that scene on the boat what's playing on the background tired and I want on that little radio oh yeah what in the product too it was yeah I mean and if you really want to go deep the the the dog that you see in the trailer that jump the water the the owner of the dog calls the dog several times pippin if you remember correctly in jaws the guy that was throwing the stick in the water having his laboratory retriever go and pitch the stick guess what the dog's name was if it's spot now okay you're correct okay but I would say that they're they're I think they did there's some suspension disbelief of course but I think they get what that comes with the shot right actually we're not I don't know it's a dinosaur or maybe there's one we haven't found yet that's very possible but let's just be honest I think they did some stuff that normal sharks wouldn't do yeah there is some defying of physics and law of nature really ruby rose almost drowned on the sex really yeah okay and I I have a pretty good idea of where to yeah and there's also another interesting point that I read as I'm reading the the uh and I wonder how this would have affected it who was attached to direct this before turtle have you like Roth and Yandabont how so oh Yandabont thank you're lucky stars cruise control if avoided if Eli Roth directed this it have been a hard art oh because it's you're lucky now an R-rated cut of this thing supposedly exists but they were they were pulling back the gore trying to get a PG-13 there's some gore in there I have to warn you I mean there's a scene with the whales I'm gonna say and it's just with the whale just shy of two hours yeah one thing I have to give a shout out when it comes to the acting you know what you're gonna get I see no Oscar nominations or anything like that but I don't know with the rules changes we've been seeing we'll talk about that on our weekly show coming up Sunday but with Shuya Sophia Kai she plays a little girl a kid yeah that's only her second role I thought she did really good considering this is her second role yeah she she doesn't come off as incredibly annoying or precocious or anything like that she's just a sweet kid that you're really really genuinely like and she's the one of the trailer right yes when the Meg's like comes up to the window yeah nope try to kiss her through the glass and I was also no no page Kennedy he plays the guy who I don't know how to split DJ yeah he's the he plays the guy who was like you're on a research vessel but doesn't know how to swim in heat swatter he wasn't he wasn't swat with the LL cool G but it's a kind of a deep blue sea he was also in it was also in the rush hour TV show oh let's try not to hold that against his character did get a little talk from me every yeah that rush hour TV show we was also in that member blue mountain state vaguely but rush hour TV to tell no that was a that was a football show but it was on the spike the rush hour the rush hour TV show had jumped a shark but I was gonna say is that page camera oh no no no no no no no that's a fail horn sir that's probably what that said that is not all right but I like this character because it's like he just plays a guy who hates water he gets a good but some good comedy there's a good lot of good comedy in this too he's out he's basically who LL was a deep blue sea when they go deep in the beginning of the film I love this the views on that the CGI it was really really cool I don't take this the wrong way Rob because I know you despise this film for whatever I don't despise it he's talking about when they when they break through that layer yeah it looked like avatars submerged there's so much don't there's so much of bioluminescence and you know it's like you you expect to see nothing but a bear in wasteland and I can get here to watch this film by saying who's in this film Brittany Palmer what's it like to be a dirty filthy liar yes because that's just blatant that is blatant mistruth but you know I don't throw that word around a lot my name is blatant mistruth my name is Chad well I'm making I do not endorse this message what is wrong with you well she wasn't a film he would see it that's the only way I think I would watch her clip okay all right I would search I go to YouTube and I would say Brittany Palmer clip from the mag but yeah the acting overall the acting though is good and she would say shut up me I'm just yeah but you know what you get with like Kurdish you know what you'll stay them and Wilson but it's it's a fun film leave your brain at the door I enjoyed it pretty good yeah anything else for us to file analysis now the the presentation of what you see this film went in I think is going to a feature enjoyment of it was you guys thought I'm I think I really enhanced because I'm X3D or just I'm no just I'm not okay but we had the little shaky sheets and the you know that was kind of cool so yeah yeah that really I think enhanced it so you know I don't have to see the movie because I live every week like a shark week sitting on your couch avoiding the water exactly the way we do the final analysis on this show we're not going to give you thumbs up thumbs down we're not going to give you letter grades numbers or some fees anything like that you're welcome I'm going to ask these boys have the two questions question number one is would they see this again if the answers know then we're done here but if the answers yes then I'm going to ask them how far they're willing to go to do so because that determines how much they like the film from the best of the best of the worst of the best here's how we roll full price at a theater we might add specialty to this I don't know I don't believe that up to them down to a twilight show down to a matinee down to early morning on the weekend down to dollar theater second run down to red box down to Netflix down to cable and we're going to save our shark film correspondent for last okay Don would you see shot up mag again yeah I would see the mag okay I'm sorry yes so you would how far you want to go do so oh sorry yeah I'm very very so I made up for earlier so there now um I would do a Saturday afternoon showing uh it's a fun have fun with it enjoy all right so I would you see this again oh yeah how far you want to go I would I would definitely want to see it in in a Dolby atmosphere and environment I don't know if I'd go 3d I don't think the 3d wouldn't really but would you pay it matinee would you pay it evening because that's going to determine matinee uh so you're basically right about in line with Don but you would pay for it to premium for me right yeah I would also I would go that I would say I max I think that happens yeah okay fair enough yeah it's it's fun it is the mag for in this whole thing yes I got to think jt and erby elevenson for the invite we love our vendors they take care of us so much thank you guys for letting the guys come see this and we can talk about it on the show that being said let's do the plugs visit our website we've mentioned it a couple of times www.theclubhousepodcast.com find the written reviews and so much more there you can follow us on social media twitter is at clubhouse show everything else is the clubhouse podcast all three words in that order or you will wind up somewhere else you can follow me on social media if you'd like everything is yes that rob urban that is filled e r v i n i am at chat in pt 6 9 on Twitter I'm at fun dongle you can also email me at dawn it's clubhousepodcast.com email dawn for information how we can come do a live show for you we love doing live remote shows and hanging out with the empire you can email me questions comments concerned seven to go pound sand i am rob at the clubhousepodcast.com i am chat at the clubhousepodcast.com sure all the parkers on Pinterest because we're morally obligated to say that jules walmick waiting on the house for her husband faith forward waiting on the house for hers we do a show every week so make sure you subscribe to this podcast give us a great rating give us a review help us out so until next time for dawn chat and the empire i'm rob clubhouse's ghost and if britney palmar was in it which she's not i would consider it you