The Meg review: What are the critics saying about Jason Statham's new movie?

Jason Statham has seemingly defeated so many villains as an action hero that he now has to take on a shark.

The Meg sees Statham as rescue diver Jonas Taylor who goes up against the megalodon to rescue sailors, surfers, swimmers and anyone else who dares near the water.

But what are the critics saying about Jason Statham’s new movie?

The shark thriller has, as of writing, a score of 49 percent on rotten tomatoes, the review aggregator, which is bound to move once reviews start pouring in.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Consensus says: “The Meg sets audiences up for a good old-fashioned B-movie creature feature, but lacks the genre thrills — or the cheesy bite — to make it worth diving in.”

Some reviewers were kinder than others, however.

Harshest of all was the Houston Chronicle who wrote: “All those who like their summer movies as big as the Pacific and as dumb as a bucket of sand will appreciate The Meg.”

The continued in a slightly more positive light, saying The Meg is “a sometimes ridiculously entertaining, if forgettable, killer shark movie.”

However, Den of Geek gave The Meg 3.5 out of five stars.

“Even if some of The Meg’s CG-generated moves look a little fishy from time to time, that’s almost part of the fun,” they wrote.

But Time Out was not a fan.

“The Meg proves only that, at least cinematically speaking, great-white movies may have finally jumped the shark,” they wrote in reference to the iconic moment Happy Days attempted to up ratings by having a character literally jump a shark.

Statham did not find favour either, with The Washington Post saying: “Unlike his action-movie rival Johnson, Statham does not have the charisma to carry this film.”

“He gets the job done all right, but makes it feel more like work than play,” they added.

Variety ultimately struck a cord, writing: “if there’s a disappointment to The Meg, it’s not just that the movie isn’t good enough. It’s that it’s not bad enough.”

The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes hints that viewers don’t mind it, and either find it so-bad-it’s-good or just plain good enough.

The Meg’s trailer reads like your typical monster-movie, with an emotional spine plot-line thrown in for good luck.

The attempt, however, seems to have come off flat with most reviews focussing on the shark or the sense of danger (or lack thereof) the movie produced.

But for a summer blockbuster, The Meg might just be the thing you’re looking for.

The Meg is in cinemas now.