Review of Jaws 2 (1978) by Mark B — 12 Jan 2011

If you take on the task of making a sequel to one of the biggest box office films ever, as well as one of the most critically praised films in history, you've taken on a hell of a task. So what do we get from Jaws 2? Honestly, not much.

This movie could have just as well been called "Police Chief Martin Brody", with a bit of shark on the side. Because for most of the movie, it's not about the threat in the water at all. First and foremost it's the continuing story of his private life, and the shark story comes in second. True, Jaws pops up once or twice in the first hour of this film, but it's not until the last 40 minutes that it actually takes over and becomes the main focus of the movie. In the mean time we've gotten a pretty boring story about basically nothing in order to lead us into the battle between man and beast. But by the time this happens all interest in the story is lost. And I start to wonder: "Do I really care if Roy Scheider kills the shark, or the shark kills him?" For most of the movie, there was no build up of suspense, or anyone in that cast that cared if there was a shark or not for that matter. So it all feels like a big sleeping pill, with a nightmare in the end. But like many other bad dreams we have, this one can easily be forgotten.

As for a sequel, it's really a terrible excuse to make money off the original name. There's not a lot in this film that has any connection to the first part. Scheider's character (looking constantly tired and uninterested) has not evolved whatsoever since the last movie, and everyone acts like the first story never happened. Otherwise, I can give credit to the score by John williams which is the best that you can expect from this movie. So as a sequel, it's a very sad attempt to ride on the fintails of it predecessor. And if the first Jaws had never been made, this film would have been a huge flop. Clearly, this is not how to make a sequel.