Two of the soon to be seven books in author Steve Alten’s Meg universe have been adapted into major motion pictures, after a process that’s seen decades of motion. Admittedly there were some moments that saw Alten truly scared by what The Meg could have been, as we came this close to a Meg that actually roared underwater. However, out of the two Jason Statham-starring films that actually happened, the author has a clear favorite when it comes to being faithful to his texts.
I was given the chance to speak with Mr. Alten on behalf of not only the release of Meg 2: The Trench, but also a new and enhanced run of his novels entitled Meg: Legacy. The subject of the books that originated Jonas Taylor’s adventures on screen was firmly present in light of the latest cinematic adventure in theaters. With that in mind, I asked Steve Alten which of the two movies so far nailed the spirit of his books.
That’s a question that’s waited a little over two decades for an answer, from the 1997 publication of Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror to the 2018 release of director Jon Turtletaub’s franchise starter. The world now has that answer, as Alten gave CinemaBlend the following feedback on how loyal both Meg adventures were:
I’d say [The Meg]. The first half of [Meg 2: The Trench] did a really nice job staying parallel to the book, and then when everybody surfaced they sort of ran back to the last 20 minutes of the first movie. You know, the bathers, running, and trying to keep them out of harm’s way. Not that it was bad, it was a lot of action.
If you were wondering whether or not you should use your Max subscription to catch up with The Meg once again, you’ve got your answer right there. From the sound of things, the literary creator of this universe seems to be of the mind that the first ride was the more faithful journey. Though at the very least, if Meg 2 was trying to replicate the adventure of The Meg’s huge human feeding frenzy, it still kept the movie firmly in Steve Alten’s universe.
Switching the focus to individual moments however, Alten does have one factor he feels both installments have covered rather well. It isn’t a moment or a character, but a place; and one that’s important yet again in Meg 2: The Trench’s narrative. In terms of where the cinematic series consistently gets it right, Steve Alten shared this aspect with CinemaBlend:
I think the highlight for me was when they would sink below the hydrothermal border, the thermocline, created by the hydrothermal vents spewing all this mineral rich hot water into the trench, and then coagulating as sort of a sealant. So in both movies they did that very well.
Watching the various characters of The Meg’s fictional universe cross this scientific marvel always feels like an important threshold. Establishing such a location is something that all potential universes need to succeed, and director Ben Wheatley’s sequel understands this handily. So whether you prefer the first or second chapter of this adventure, there’s one overlapping feature that always performs; especially when it comes to Meg 2: The Trench’s 3D presentation.
Through this saga’s return to the world of cinema, audiences seem ready to breach the thermocline again and see what lurks in the depths. Meg 2’s bad Rotten Tomatoes score certainly hasn’t scared audiences, as the Warner Bros picture’s solid opening weekend shows promise for The Trench’s sea legs.
It’s early days, but the outlook is rather rosy when it comes to some indicators. With this recent entry on the 2023 movie release schedule now showing in a theater near you, there’s a chance that both the cinematic and the literary will score a decisive victory.
Should you be one of those fans that wants to own Steve Alten’s entire Meg canon thus far, then you should definitely look into pre-ordering the Meg: Legacy box set. You may want to hurry though, as Alten mentioned this set is limited to 5000 printings, and according to the metrics at the time of this interview, he’s already sold around 2000 copies.