TV FILMS of the week
1
THE MEG
Today, Channel 5, 6pm
The Meg is a supersized horror thriller, which is enjoyably overblown, even if it swims in frequently charted waters. Dr Zhang (Winston Chao) and his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing) oversee the Mana One research facility, financed by a billionaire (Rainn Wilson) and located 200 miles off the Chinese coast. During one exploratory dive in the Mariana Trench, the Origin submersible is attacked by a 75ft long megalodon shark. Dr Zhang and Mana One’s station chief Mac (Cliff Curtis) make haste to Thailand to persuade underwater rescue expert Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) to return to the deep.
2
1917
Tomorrow, BBC2, 9pm
Practice makes nail-bitingly tense perfection in director Sam Mendes’ real-time thriller, inspired by stories of The Great War told by his grandfather, who served as a lance corporal. The film – starring George MacKay, pictured – is shot in real-time in several exquisitely staged single takes, which are stitched together into a continuous fluid shot.
3
DOWNTON ABBEY Tuesday, ITV3, 8pm
Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern), left, receive written communication from Buckingham Palace informing them of the arrival of King George V and Queen Mary as part of a royal tour. This big screen outing ties up loose narrative threads from the hit TV series while unpicking some new ones.
4
LADY BIRD
Wednesday, BBC3, 10pm
Greta Gerwig draws on fond memories of her Californian hometown for a beautifully observed study of mother-daughter relationships and youthful exuberance in turn of the 21st-century Sacramento. Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan, left, and Laurie Metcalf are delightful as the spunky title character and her hard-working mother.
5
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Thursday, BBC4, 9pm
Banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is wrongly convicted of a double murder and receives two consecutive life sentences. In Shawshank Prison, he encounters peril from his fellow inmates and the guards. But, after making friends, including Red (Morgan Freeman, left with Robbins), he adapts to life behind bars in this uplifting drama.
6
FLIGHT
Friday, Film4, 9pm
Denzel Washington soars in Robert Zemeckis’ study of a pilot wrestling with a dependency on alcohol. Captain William “Whip” Whitaker (Washington, left) wakes from a bender to fly passengers to Atlanta. When the plane suddenly loses altitude, Whip’s daring manoeuvre saves the day, but an investigation threatens to expose him.
7
JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM Saturday, ITV, 8pm
Four years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing (Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, pictured) return to Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that’s about to erupt. They encounter new breeds of dinos and uncover a conspiracy that threatens the planet.