It's almost time to sink your teeth into another deep-sea adventure. The Meg 2: The Trench, one of 2023's new movies, is due to swim into theaters on Friday, August 4. And if you're anything like us, the wait for another trashy action movie can't end soon enough.
Yes, the entertainment behemoth known as Barbenheimer was brilliant. Sure, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem delivered the animated movie goods. And okay, Mission Impossible 7 was enthralling. Sometimes, though, you just can't beat watching a film like The Meg 2 – i.e. a movie that you can switch your brain off to and simply enjoy the ride.
Before the Jason Statham-starring sci-fi action movie *ahem* takes a bite out of the competition, you'll want to get in the mood for it with similar schlocky/strangely humorous genre fare. Below, we've handpicked six other cheesy action movies to stream on the world's best streaming services to catch before The Meg 2. So, what are you waiting for? Dive in!
The Meg
Where to stream it: Max (Australian audiences can stream it on Netflix and Paramount Plus. UK viewers will have to rent or buy The Meg via Amazon, Apple, Google Play, YouTube, and the Microsoft store)
What better place to start than with the film that precedes The Meg 2?
Creatively titled The Meg, this sci-fi action flick sees Statham's Jonas Taylor – a reclusive rescue diver – recruited by a group of scientists to save the crew of a deep-sea submersible, which is trapped at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The problem? A recently awakened 75-foot long Megalodon (essentially, a giant prehistoric shark) threatens Taylor's mission and the world's ocean ecosystem.
It'll never be deemed one of the best Max movies, but there's a certain charm to The Meg. It's a movie in the mould of Jaws, with plenty of over-the-top action and a suspend-your-disbelief storyline. And hey, those type of films prove popular with film lovers – The Meg's $530.2 million global haul can attest to that.
Fast & Furious film series
Where to stream them: Binge in Australia, Sky NOW in the UK, and Netflix and Peacock in the US
Given how popular and hugely successful the Fast and Furious movies are, this entry might be a controversial one to many of you.
Take at face value, though, Universal's car-based action movie series is an easy-to-watch, at-times corny film franchise. With each installment, the action grows more outlandish and reality-defying, the jokes become more eye-roll worthy, and don't even get use started on that cheesy "We're family" quote that's become its own meme at this point.
The Fast and Furious movies aren't terrible – in fact, there are a few entries that are extremely enjoyable and very entertaining. But, given how absurd and dumb-fun-rich they are, it's difficult not to label them as cheesy action flicks. While you're here, read up on how to watch the Fast and Furious movies in order, before checking out our ranking of every Fast and Furious film to date.
Commando
Where to stream it: Disney Plus in Australia and the UK, Paramount Plus in the US
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently tore it up on Netflix with Fubar, his first-ever TV series (and one of the best Netflix shows around, apparently). Decades before that, though, the man affectionately dubbed 'Arnie' was one of Hollywood's go-to A-listers for action movies.
1985's Commando was one such flick that Schwarzenegger starred in. In it, Arnie plays retired special ops soldier John Matrix, who sets out on a one-man mission to rescue his daughter Jenny after she's kidnapped by a Latin American dictator known simply as Arias.
Commando may be beloved by many, but there's no denying that it's a cheese-fest. In some ways, its threadbare plot, bombastic set-pieces, lashings of gore, and groan-inducing one-liners make it the ultimate '80s Schwarzenegger action film. There are better Arnie films than this one – Terminator 1, Terminator 2, and Predator to name three – but Commando is an easily digestible flick to stream.
Shotgun Wedding
Where to stream it: Prime Video
It wouldn't be a genuine cheesy movie round-up without a rom-com action flick – and it just so happens that Prime Video's Shotgun Wedding delivers on that front.
Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Lopez star as Tom and Darcy, who travel to an idyllic island in the Philippines – with their family and friends in tow – to get married. However, when a group of mercenaries gate-crash the ceremony and take everyone hostage except the engaged couple, Tom and Darcy must put their nuptials on hold to save those they love.
The reviews weren't kind to Shotgun Wedding upon release (it holds 45% and 51% critical and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes), so it never really stood a chance of joining our best Prime Video movies list. But, if you're looking for a trashy action flick wrapped up in romantic comedy sensibilities, this one is worth checking out.
Geostorm
Where to stream it: Binge and Paramount Plus in Australia, Prime Video in the UK, and Max in the US
More often than not, sci-fi disaster films are peak cheesy action films. Yes, they're visually arresting at times, but those awe-inspiring visual effects usually make up for hackneyed story beats and underdeveloped characters.
The Gerard Butler-starring Geostorm is one such example. The Scottish actor plays Jake Lawson, a satellite designer who attempts to save the world from a cataclysmic storm caused by malfunctioning climate-control satellites. Yes, that's really its premise.
Critically panned upon release in 2017, this apocalypse-first flick is anything but enjoyable. Suffice to say, then, it won't be joining our best Paramount Plus movies article. Ever. However, if you're a disaster movie buff, and want something to stick on and switch your brain off to, you could do far worse than Geostorm.
Willy's Wonderland
Where to stream it: Stan in Australia, Amazon Freevee in the UK, and Hulu in the US
Nicolas Cage is down to star in whatever project he likes. From critically acclaimed films to indie flicks and everything in between, the eccentric and iconic actor is only too happy to feature in some of the biggest or most bizarre movies you'll ever lay eyes on.
Willy's Wonderland is certainly one of the latter. This cheaply-produced, action-horror movie – born out of Screen Media Films' desire to capitalize on the popularity of hit video game series like Five Nights At Freddy's (FNAF) – is as surreal and trashy as it is hilariously gory. Fans of FNAF and its numerous knock-offs, as well as anyone spooked by Chuck E. Cheese's animatronics, will lap this one up.
So, what's it about? Cage plays an unnamed drifter who's tricked into becoming the new night janitor of a remote and abandoned family entertainment center. There. Cage's nameless protagonist is forced to fight for his life when the amusement park's eight murderous animatronics come to life. Not one of the best Hulu movies, clearly, but worth a watch if you're after a horror-fueled chuckle or two.
For more movie-based coverage, get the lowdown on all of the new movies releasing in theaters this year. Alternatively, check out the best Disney Plus movies and best Apple TV Plus movies.
