Review of Jaws 2 (1978) by Mike S — 06 Sep 2009

JAWS 2 is a major missed opportunity of a film. Instead of taking the route that JAWS took, in telling a thoughtful and intelligent story, JAWS 2 delves into the realm of the slasher film and is basically just a series of shark attacks strung together by the barest possible plot.

Where JAWS 2 falters is in the fact that it doesn't do the character of Chief Brody justice. After his ordeal in the first film, and the emergence of the possibility of another shark terrorizing the island, this would have put forth the terrific opportunity of watching Brody have to not only face down his fear of the water and of sharks again, but also deal with the pressures that that put on him both physically and emotionally. We're only given lip service to this, however, and it's done sparingly in between some rather uninspired shark attacks.

Roy Scheider is back as Chief Brody, and he does his absolute best with what little he's given to work with, and in all his performance is a commendable one. It's a shame that the rest of the elements of the film let him down at just about every possible turn. Still, this is a far superior film to the two atrocities that followed it.