9 Shark Movies To Prepare Audiences For The Meg

A film that simply should not be as good as it is.

It's essentially an updated version of the same story all of these films tell in one way or another; someone gets stranded in the water, shark violence ensues. But here, it is done in a wholly entertaining and fresh way. Blake Lively anchors the film with a fantastic and surprisingly subdued performance. She makes a character that could have easily been just another discount scream queen into a relatable and endearingly fleshed-out person.

The shark action is also a huge highlight here. The effects are incredibly good and the movie is smart enough to not show it so much that audiences grow used to it. The shark is menacing in appearance and consistently shown to be an intelligent predator. So when it and Lively have their showdowns, they are ultimately battles of wit as one tries to outsmart the other, which is infinitely more interesting.

Here's hoping that The Meg can strike a similar balance in its shark showdowns because Statham going physically toe-to-toe with the megalodon would definitely cross the line into jump-the-shark territory. If The Meg can make their showdowns a more intellectual minefield, in which Statham has to outsmart the beast, it will have learned the correct lesson.