The 2018 masterpiece, The Meg, is very near and dear to my heart. As a fellow Meg, my interests lie in increased representation of Megs in general. The likes of The Duchess of Sussex and Megan Thee Stallion are more than doing their part, especially in the face of those bringing the good name down. But the titular monster in the Jason Statham film is bringing a different kind of representation. You see, Megs aren’t just Margarets or Meaghans (and whatever wrong variations exist), they’re also Megalodons. Giant, deadly (but fabulous) prehistoric monsters that get—spoiler alert—defeated and devoured by newbie sharks.
As a Meg, it was tough to see her downfall, but as someone who’s seen many Jason Statham films, I saw no other viable option. But now, that’s not even the worst of it. In a truly shocking—no devastating—turn of events, scientists dare to suggest that The Meg gets its facts wrong.
According to a paper published in the International Journal of Paleobiology, a group of paleontologists allege that we actually have no idea what a Megalodon looks like. (We first saw this at A.V. Club.) The paper argues that given the actual evidence of the extinct creature for scientists to go off is teeth and vertebrae, it’s not possible to definitively prove Megalodons’ size. The paper states, “The reality is that there are presently no scientific means to support or refute the accuracy of any of the previously published body forms of O[todus] megalodon.”
This is all to say, any claims scientists—and Jason Statham films—have about the Meg and her size is pure speculation. It does make sense given the name itself means “big tooth.” That said, it is a supremely tough break to have your whole legacy come down to your giant teeth. I would probably be furious. Still, though, giant teeth just indicates she’s a solid 80-footer. (But this is now, sadly, veering into speculation territory.)
If only Meg could defend herself from this terrible slander. But alas she was chum when we last saw her. But a good Meg never stays down. She (or her daughter) is back and, frankly, thriving—and probably out for revenge. Or, whatever the currently-unknown plot for The Meg 2: The Trench is. One thing is (probably) certain, though: she’s more ferocious than that tiny shark in Jaws.