English action movie stalwart, Jason Statham, is all set to make his thrilling return in the expansive sequel, Meg 2: The Trench. The sequel augments the original movie’s scope in every possible manner. This time around, Statham ventures once again into the trench inhabited by fearsome prehistoric megalodon sharks. Along with facing these marine monsters, he has to fend off human adversaries led by the cunning Montes, portrayed by Sergio Peris-Mencheta. Additionally, Meg 2 unravels the twist of insiders within the Mana One marine research station working against their own team. The narrative also reveals that in the six-year gap between The Meg and Meg 2, Mana One’s technological advancement has scaled new heights, equipping both the heroes and villains with state-of-the-art equipment. Amidst all this, if you feel overwhelmed with information by the time the closing credits roll, especially post the climactic third-act showdown involving all the film’s pivotal characters, don’t fret. We have compiled a comprehensive guide that decodes the major events of Meg 2: The Trench and elucidates its exhilarating ending.
What Mystery Unravels in the Trench?
Between the events of The Meg and its sequel, researchers from Mana One have made significant breakthroughs. They have engineered submarines equipped with electrical charges and exoskeletons, enabling divers to traverse the ocean floor disregarding the tremendous pressure from 25 thousand feet of water overhead. Assured of keeping the megalodons at bay, the Mana One team has been meticulously charting the unexplored depths under the ocean’s thermocline and cataloguing new plant and animal species dwelling in our planet’s darkest aquatic corners. But, in the early stages of Meg 2: The Trench, Jonas Taylor (played by Statham) and his colleagues stumble upon a secret underwater base in a new sector of the trench.
This clandestine underwater facility is a mining station controlled by Montes, a mercenary harboring a grudge against Jonas. After the events of The Meg, Jonas has transformed into an environmentally conscious James Bond figure, infiltrating illegal organizations to unearth their environmental crimes. Jonas’ dedication to maintaining the ocean’s purity led to Montes’ two-year imprisonment, which motivates the villain’s personal vendetta against Statham’s character. However, Montes’ presence at the underwater station isn’t merely due to his revenge plot. The mercenary was dispatched there by a Mana One investor (played by Sienna Guillory), who has been exploiting the researchers’ technology for her mining venture. Since significant industries have yet to mine the trench, extracting rare minerals worth billions is a relatively simple task, provided the mercenaries remain concealed.
To safeguard his illicit business from Jonas’ interference, Montes detonates an explosion in the trench, entombing the scientists from Mana One under rubble. This event triggers the film’s main plot, as Jonas and his team fight for survival while their oxygen supply dwindles and the trench’s creatures perceive them as potential prey.
Who is the Insider at Mana One?
The illicit mining operation would have been impossible without an insider within Mana One, feeding the mercenaries crucial information. As Jonas guides the explosion survivors to safety, Mac (played by Cliff Curtis), DJ (Page Kennedy), and Jess (Skyler Samuels) put in their best efforts to unmask the mole in Mana One. They invest considerable time trying to access footage revealing the individual sabotaging the rescue submarines and trapping Jonas in the trench post-explosion. Sadly, when Mac finally retrieves the footage from a satellite backup, he finds out that Jess is the culprit.
Though Meg 2: The Trench doesn’t specify when Jess turned traitor, the film shows her sharing a passionate kiss with Montes, indicating a pre-existing romantic involvement before she meets her untimely end by a megalodon. The lure of wealth from the illegal mining operation and her romantic relationship with Montes are strong enough reasons for Jess to betray her colleagues and assist in stealing technology from Mana One.
Who Perishes in the Final Showdown of ‘Meg 2: The Trench’?
When Montes triggers the trench explosion in an attempt to trap Jonas, he inadvertently creates a temporary breach in the thermocline, letting prehistoric creatures escape. Consequently, when Jonas and other survivors resurface, they encounter Montes’ mercenaries, three megalodons, a colossal octopus, and a horde of amphibious mini-Megs with sharp teeth. The climactic confrontation between all these parties transpires on the aptly named Fun Island.
En route to Fun Island, Jonas fastens explosives to harpoons, creating an effective weapon to combat the megalodons. As Jonas grapples with the sharks atop a jet ski, DJ and Rigas (Whoopie van Raam) are tasked with locating a functioning phone to alert the authorities, which becomes difficult after Montes takes down the island’s cellphone tower. Meanwhile, Mac and Jiuming (Wu Jing) try to procure more weapons to assist Jonas in his battle against the megalodons. Lastly, Meiying (Sophia Cai) is ordered to stay hidden.
Jonas utilizes the explosive harpoons to blast a hole in one of the megalodons’ heads. On land, the heroes and mercenaries engage in a deadly hide-and-seek while being pursued by the amphibian mini-Megs. DJ and Rigas discover a satellite phone on a deceased mercenary and manage to contact the military. Simultaneously, Jiuming makes improvised bombs using fertilizer to combat the megalodons. The financier of the mercenaries’ mining venture falls prey to the mini-Megs, leaving her helicopter unattended. Mac and Jiuming commandeer it to support Jonas. Meanwhile, Jonas and Montes engage in a gunfight, which concludes when a megalodon swallows Montes whole.
While chaos ensues on Fun Island, Meiying abandons her hiding place to aid a drowning tourist. Regrettably, she soon attracts the attention of the giant octopus. Consequently, Jiuming, instead of assisting Jonas, rushes to rescue his niece. The octopus crashes the helicopter, leaving Mac stranded in the ocean. In turn, Jiuming saves Meiying and uses his handmade explosive in an attempt to vanquish the creature. Unfortunately, the octopus survives. Jiuming is on the brink of being eaten when Haiqi, the megalodon he had nurtured since infancy, intervenes. Haiqi annihilates the giant octopus while Jiuming makes his escape.
On noticing Mac in danger, Jonas rushes to his aid. Employing his muscular strength and relentless fury, Jonas lifts one of the helicopter’s blades, patiently waiting for a second megalodon to leap towards him and get impaled by the sharp object. The only remaining megalodon is Haiqi. Initially, it seems Haiqi will consume the heroes. However, Jiuming uses a clicker to command the giant shark to retreat. Haiqi complies, which Jiuming attributes to his successful training. For Jonas, however, it merely means Haiqi found a group of dolphins a more appealing meal than the humans.
Authorities arrive at Fun Island when the fight concludes. To recap, Montes, the mercenaries, and their financier all meet their end at the hands (or teeth) of the megalodons or the mini-Megs. One megalodon gets obliterated by Jonas’ explosive harpoons.
