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Meg 2: The Trench
Movie

Meg 2: The Trench

2023 • Action, Adventure, Horror

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

A research team's journey into the depths of the ocean turns into chaos when a mining operation forces them into a battle for survival, facing off against Megalodons and relentless environmental marauders.

Overall Series Review

Meg 2: The Trench is a pure action-adventure creature feature where the narrative is dedicated entirely to giant shark encounters and corporate sabotage. The plot revolves around a research team's battle for survival against Megalodons and human environmental marauders. The conflict establishes a clear line between selfless heroes and greedy, selfish villains, following a traditional good-versus-evil moral structure. The core focus is on spectacle and survival, with no discernible attempt to insert contemporary socio-political commentary or ideological lectures into the high-octane B-movie premise.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3/10

The lead hero, Jonas Taylor, is a competent white male action star who takes charge, saving the day and defeating the threats. The main human villain is a wealthy white female industrialist, but the villains' ranks are diverse, including a white female collaborator and a non-white male mercenary. The core heroic team consists of a diverse set of characters who are all judged by their courage and capability, adhering largely to meritocracy rather than intersectional hierarchy.

Oikophobia4/10

The film criticizes corporate greed and illegal deep-sea mining, framing the antagonists as 'environmental marauders' who threaten the planet. This is a critique of a corrupt institution for their unethical actions, not a wholesale condemnation of Western civilization, its heritage, or its ancestors. The multi-national team of heroes is the civilizing force attempting to protect the environment and lives.

Feminism2/10

Jonas Taylor, the male lead, is an unassailable, highly capable action hero who kills the monsters and the main human antagonist. Female characters are not universally perfect; one female scientist is a villain/traitor, and the main corporate villain is a woman who dies due to her incompetence. The dynamic is one of men and women having distinct but equally valuable roles in the crisis, and the surrogate father-daughter bond is celebrated.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative is centered on survival against giant sea creatures and greedy humans. Sexual identity, alternative sexualities, and gender theory are not featured in the plot. The family structure presented, though not a traditional nuclear unit, is one of a protective male figure (Jonas) raising his stepdaughter, establishing a normative structure.

Anti-Theism1/10

As an action-adventure monster movie, the film contains no religious or spiritual references, either positive or hostile. Morality is black and white: selfless good guys protect people and the environment, while selfish bad guys exploit them. This establishes an objective moral truth without a spiritual vacuum or any anti-theistic messaging.