areatw
As with many sequels to classic films, 'Jaws 2' is a big disappointment. Everything that made the first film so special is missing from the sequel. It's flat, slow, lacking in ideas and originality, and the tension just isn't on the same level as the first film. The storyline was never going to be as good, but I still expected something a lot better. It feels very safe and uninspired, in contrast to the original which took so many risks.You can't help but judge this film against its predecessor, which is probably why it has so many negative votes. Judging it on its own merits, it's certainly not a bad film and is still quite enjoyable. Obviously when a film is a huge success, as 'Jaws' was, a sequel is inevitable, but given how unique and memorable the original was, subsequent films weren't really necessary. 'Jaws 2', while not bad in its own right, isn't good enough to justify a sequel.
sddavis63
If I were going to offer just a brief summary of this movie, it would be simple: if you've seen "Jaws" then you've seen "Jaws 2." I've seen "Jaws" and I quite enjoyed it. But watching this first sequel was a bit of a letdown. It's not that it's particularly a bad movie. It's not. But it's just the same story, tweaked in a few places, but in substance the same. There's a giant great white shark off the coast of Amity Island attacking people. Police Chief Brody (played once again by Roy Scheider) realizes this and tries to get the town to take action to protect people and the town refuses, leaving Brody to eventually have to hunt down the shark. (And I do have to say that the climax to the final confrontation seemed somewhat less than believable.) In any event, it's OK, and Scheider slipped easily back into the role of Brody. But for all its similarities to "Jaws" and in spite of the fact that it's OK, I really have to knock this sequel down several points from the score of 8 that I gave the original. Basically, there are three reasons for doing so:(1) The sheer lack of originality hurts this. It's pretty much predictable all the way through. Sure, as I said, the story is tweaked here and there - but basically you know what's going to happen; you know where this is heading. It's not a "thrilling" or frightening movie the way the original was.(2) The absence of Richard Dreyfuss was unfortunate. It was understandable. Apparently he was busy with "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" while "Jaws 2" was being shot. But I really liked his character of Matt Hooper in the original. He partnered with Scheider well, and Brody and Hooper were complementary characters. Hooper gets mentioned in this sequel. Brody's wife (played by Lorraine Gray) is shown talking to him on the phone, finding out that he's in Antarctica and unable to return to help her husband out.)(3) I'd make the same observation about the absence of Steven Spielberg as director - who was unable to take part in this for the same reason as Dreyfuss. His directing was missed. He had a crisp style about him and put together not only a frightening movie but a well paced and very interesting movie. Jeannot Szwarc is a good director, but to me didn't seem to quite capture the right feel for this. The pacing seemed off. He didn't seem to have as sure a hand on the genre.Having seen this, I'm honestly not sure that I wouldn't have been better off just re-watching the original. (4/10)
Carlos King
Jaws 2 does not get an "A" for effort, but it definitely earns a "B" or "B-" for effort. To be fair to Gottlieb, Szwarc, et al., they attempt to build characters, flesh out ones we already knew (sorta), and try to still tell a story while ramping up the shark mayhem from the first movie. And to their credit, I was surprised by the movie's insistence to get to know a wider range of side characters on top of Roy Scheider's world-weary Brody, anchoring it all.That being said, just because the movie tries does not mean it particularly succeeds. Jaws, aside from the shark, really focused around the fine performances of three very talented character actors, playing believable, well-written, and likable characters. Brody, Quint, and Hooper were clearly-defined personalities that played well off one another, with their own motivations, backstories, and skills.While it's unfair to judge the sequel *solely* in relation to its predecessor, it is only to temper your expectations. Suffice to say: the characters introduced in Jaws 2 are not compelling, have believable reactions and motivations, and are not particularly interesting. You have a parade of one-notes: the sleazy real-estate developer, the incredulous doctor ("Sharks don't take things personally, Mr. Brody!"), and a gaggle of annoying teeny-boppers who were put in because the producers knew which audience to cash in on. In a cynical display of movie-making, you have every archetype of teen present - someone for every baby boomer to relate to!More effective are the returning cast. Cashing in on the nostalgia of the first was somewhat successful, as it is nice to see characters like the Deputy, the Brody's, and Mayor Vaughan again - as well as the town of Amity itself (counting it as a character). The best moments are between returning cast members/veteran actors - the world-weariness on display is either an appealing way of establishing the story, or an authentic reaction to being dragged on to do a sequel to a giant shark movie! I likewise saw myself enjoying the return and to "see how things were going." It is depressing to learn that more interesting ideas - such as Amity being ruined because of the shark attack and resorting to mob financing - were scuttled in favor of a rehash of the first story, complete with "we can't close the beaches its tourism season!" beats. I don't know how the producers/writers can be so dismissive of the billion Jaws rip-offs when they themselves are guilty of the same crime. Hypocrisy of the rich/famous I suppose!It seems as if half the movie is dedicated following around the lives of Amity's teens, as they try to go through the pangs of growing up: going to dances, asking each other out, sailing, and avoiding a gigantic rubber shark mounted on a motorized platform. I can understand, and on a conceptual level, appreciate the attempt to make the adolescents more than mere shark fodder. However, none of their stories or personalities are interesting, and their scenes slow the pacing down to a crawl - to the point where you start to think of them *as* mere shark fodder, hoping, hoping, hoping that that damn thing shows u p and eats one of them (particularly Donna Wilkes, who spends the back half of the movie screaming non-stop) to pick the movie up. If you have been wondering this whole review "When is he gunna start talking about the shark?" then I've given you a taste of what you will feel watching Jaws 2. Whereas Jaws saved its payoff for the end, and allowed strong writing to propel the movie, Jaws 2 lacks those strong moments and thus makes you yearn for the shark. Szwarc decided, against the opinions of his crew, to show off more of the shark. On the downside, it means more chances to see how fake the thing looks (you will see its rubber mouth crease and fold inwards in one bad shot). On the upside, it gives the movie a means of punctuating the doldrums with some shark action! In an inverse of its predecessor, the shark is the best thing about Jaws 2. It does more silly stunts, well shot by the talented crewmen. It rams many more boats, it generally acts like a dick, grabbing teens and launching them into the hulls of their own craft, and even gets involved in a incredibly stupefying scene in which a lady, attempting to kill the shark, pours gasoline on herself and lights herself (and the shark) on fire. From that point on it sports some cool, wicked scars. If Szwarc cannot be praised for his job at adapting a screenplay, he nonetheless made sure that the real breadwinner - the action scenes - were well done, and entertaining. It has the unfortunate side effect of making the movie incredibly stupid, though, especially as teens start behaving as slasher victims would and destroy their own attempts at survival (the boat version of tripping over one's self, ha ha). Oh, and helicopters too. Lots of fun to be had with these moments!You only wish there were more. Between the over-extended focus on unimportant side-characters, and the lack of interesting things for Scheider to do, the movie quickly starts to rub you the wrong way - with the exception of the shark sequences. As a movie, and a monster movie, it is still an above-average effort from a competent crew, but it is brought down by an overly commercial approach to its setup and payoff. Reading further into the making-of, it was said that Arthur C Clarke and Peter Benchley each had sequel scripts that were turned down. Otto Preminger at one point was even a choice for director. Weep for what could have been bold, weird, or idiosyncratic choices and direction - for what we were left with was Jaws 2: an ok, so-so movie that takes few chances and doesn't give us the goods nearly enough.
