Jason Statham Takes Over Netflix And Even Beats Zack Snyder

Though Snyder’s Rebel Moon made waves on Netflix upon its December 21 streaming release, those waves are no match for the splash that Meg 2: The Trench just made on the platform just a week later.

As of this writing, Meg 2 has dethroned the space opera from its number one spot on Netflix’s Top 10 list, bumping it down to number three.

Despite Meg 2’s abysmal 27 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that the Jason Statham starring film has staying power when it comes to delayed viewing.

It goes without question that the shark-infested sequel isn’t a critical darling by any stretch of the imagination, but the important thing to consider when it comes to streaming views is what the audience thinks.

Like most over-the-top action blockbusters, the disproportionately high audience score of 73 percent tells us that what audiences want to watch and what critics think they want to watch are two entirely separate things.

After all, it’s not every day we get to witness a giant octopus breaching water and taking down a helicopter.

Rebel Moon boasts a similarly askew relationship between its critical score (24 percent) and its audience score (61 percent). It has been criticized for being derivative and leaning too much into tropes.

The same can be said about the Jason Statham sequel, but what sets it apart from its competition is its self-awareness. While it’s true that both films are rife with overused tropes, Meg 2 is able to hold its own because of its inherent ability to not take itself too seriously.

Based on the reviews, Rebel Moon suffers from its slow-burn approach to building out an entire universe while simultaneously neglecting to make characters that are engaging or memorable in way that would make audiences want to stick around.

Additionally, critics can’t help but compare the film to a lackluster version of the Star Wars films that we’ve been watching for decades.

Conversely, Jason Statham and co waste no time telling us what’s at stake before kicking things into high gear.

But not all hope is lost for Rebel Moon, as Zack Snyder plans to make a number of sequels in the coming years that will hopefully lead to a satisfying payoff.

It’s not uncommon for science-fiction properties to do all of the expository heavy lifting early on to explore the universe built in the first installment.

Simply put, any Jason Statham action movie will sock you in the gut before you even have time to think about what’s actually happening on the screen.

Looking back nearly 20 years at films like Crank, it’s clear that if a film hits the ground running, it will have staying power.

In most cases, a fast-paced action thriller will leave you dumbfounded upon your first viewing. But the immediate urge to start over from the beginning so you can unpack what you just witnessed is where the magic happens.

In other words, Jason Statham has mastered the art of keeping us on the edge of our seats, and Meg 2 is the chum-infested water that we all want to swim a couple of laps in.