Meg 2: The Trench

With higher-profile summer moviegoing fare such as Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City or Guardians of the Galaxy 3 having been released, our attention in terms of trailers looks forward to August—typically a relatively quiet month for theatrical releases. Nevertheless, there’s room for all forms of the proverbial summer blockbuster, not least of which being Meg 2. Following the profitable (if not a critical darling) The Meg (2018), its unabashed sequel promises to take itself with an equal lack of seriousness.

Critical to the trailer in positioning the film firmly in “camp” territory is the use of the classic rock hit “Barracuda” by Heart (1977). At first, however, we get a sort of fake-out musical speaking, with the use of the menacing, low synths we would associate more with action thrillers. Epic percussion is matched by detuned strings. At 0:23, we get an audiovisual blackout just before the music returns, synched to the footstep of a t-rex. From here, the arrangement ramps up, with chords sounding out in double time. Another suspenseful pause presages the arrival of the titular beast, which handily consumes the t-rex in a single mouthful. Notice how the music stops here, and we’re treated to the foley of a t-rex’s bones being crunched by the jaw of the meg free of aural distractions.

At 0:45, the audioviewer can’t confirm it yet, but the percussion track already signals the use of Barracuda with its signature galloping rhythm. However, it doesn’t take long to confirm it: on the line “we need your help”, the signature guitar riff arrives as if summoned from the ether. Despite the use of epic music flourishes and embellishments in its arrangement such as at 0:58, at its heart (pun not intended), “Barracuda” is a fun, energetic tune—and effectively signals Meg 2 as a summer action film that was never meant to be taken with any sort of seriousness.

Couched between instances of the song, however, is about thirty seconds where the music drops out and there is a bit more trepidation with an underwater encounter with a meg—yet at 1:47 the percussion leads and segues seamlessly back into “Barracuda” along with a fun, green-and-blue title card (for the release date). Synch points are relatively few and far between, though the shovel landing on a meg’s face on the downbeat at 1:53 is particularly satisfying. Notice also at 2:07 the choice confluence of title card and lyrics as the vocals come in (we hear “this ain’t the end / I saw you again” as we read “THEY'RE BACK”). As the vocals continue, the trailer settles conclusively on where Meg 2 lands—as a film that may have its suspenseful or dramatic moments, but ultimately places fun at the fore.

Meg 2: The Trench arrives in theatres in August.

— Curtis Perry