Review of Jaws 3-D (1983) by Russell S — 05 Mar 2017

A movie that almost completely relies on its overcooked, exaggerated 3D presentation to keep you engaged. In fact my 3 star rating would be reduced further were it not for it's kooky 3D effects which in of themseleves are far more entertaining than much else that the movie has to offer.

That said, it's almost unfair to call this movie bad when the movie was designed purely to serve the 3D rather than the other way around. The movie knows exactly what it is and never pretends to be anything else. In fact I'll be brave and say its not actually a bad movie when viewed in its intended form and taken as tongue-in-cheek as clearly intended.

In 2D though, it's a much flatter experience in every sense. For a start the badly composited process shots look much worse and completely lose their novelty factor. In 3D you actually look forward to seeing them!

The 3D is so dominant and the depth so amped up that you are never allowed to forget for one second that you're watching a 3D movie. Even ardent 3D fans may find it headache inducing eventually. The script is mostly forgettable but it does have its moments and generally the cast do okay to work with what they have.

One interesting thing to note is that most of the shark footage (except for a few strange looking bad processed shots) looks good.

Overall, in its 3D form it's a fun B movie that goes well with a bag of popcorn, a couple of alcoholic drinks and a few friends.

The big achievement of the 3D version is it's ability to leave you with a guilty smirk on your face by the end.

In 2D, it loses most of it's charm and any real reason for existing.

The third dimension in hilarity.