Big Screen
THE MEG
Cinema has been chasing after the terror of sharks ever since Jaws scared people away from the ocean over forty years ago. Now it’s Jason Statham’s turn to look sternly into the deep blue at his finned opponent.
The Meg may initially sound like some sort of Irish film, but it’s short for Megalodon, a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark that used to cruise around before anyone was around to record history. Spoiler alert, there’s still one left, and if there’s one thing people hate, it’s things that are scary, endangered, and presumed dead a long time ago. Better kill it! With a budget of $150 million USD, the studios are really looking at going as big as possible. Starring Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson (as the comedic support) and Ruby Rose, The Meg had multiple scenes shot in New Zealand and even has some Kiwi talent injected into it in the form of Cliff Curtis. Ocean scenes were done in the Hauraki Gulf, while interior scenes were shot out in West Auckland and underwater scenes done in a tank over in Kumeu.
Li Bingbing reported that while she was filming here in NZ, she felt like she was going to die shooting the underwater scenes.
In cinemas August 16.
BLACKkKLANSMAN
From director Spike Lee, comes a true story about a detective (John David Washington) in the 70s infiltrating the Klan. The twist, he’s black, something the Klan isn’t really a fan of. With the help of a fellow detective (Adam Driver), he finds his way to the center of the hate group. The movie has its fair share of humour, but you can never outjoke the weight of the content its dealing with. It’s a timely film that’s entertaining nonetheless.
In cinemas August 16.
MILE 22
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan (Walking Dead) and Iko Uwais (The Raid), Mile 22 is set up to be a new franchise of grittier alternatives to the likes of Bond, Bourne, and Mission Impossible. Wahlberg leads a black ops team that doesn’t follow any rules, because rules are for desk jockeys and bureaucrats. With bloody fight scenes and flying fists among the firefights, this is going to be the action movie to see this month.
In cinemas August 30.
THE FIRST PURGE
As the fourth movie in a series that has garnered critical response (very critical) and a ton of money, The First Purge is a prequel explaining how America got to a state where it thought that making crime legal once a year was a good idea. This time playing with oppression and marginalisation, the film tries to play with some big ideas. It might fumble them but prepare for a lot of scary looking masks and people running around with machetes for no good reason.
In cinemas August 2.