Maybe It Helped That My Expectations Were Low
Despite the fact that I didn’t find the original Jaws to be the masterpiece that most consider it, I was still curious about the sequels. Yeah, I know, nobody likes them. But I still decided to give Jaws 2 a chance. Turns out, I thought it was about as good as the first, which is faint praise.
This movie sees the return of Roy Scheider as Brody, Lorraine Gary as his wife, Ellen, and Murray Hamilton as Mayor Vaughn. That’s right, we are back in Amity. It’s been several years since the first movie (and three since the first movie was released). Ellen is now working of a developer who is building condos on the island. They are bringing in new prospective owners as things really ramp up.
Which is why the timing of another giant shark in the waters off the coast is horrid. Of course, no one is ready to believe that this is what is happening despite missing divers and water skiers. Is Brody being paranoid? Or is there really another shark in the waters?
I’ve got to say, the movie falls into a trap the first movie avoided a bit. Here, it isn’t obvious to any of the characters for far too long that there is indeed another shark in the water. Instead, we get Brody suspecting what is going on, but without proof. And without proof, the mayor and the others aren’t willing to cause a panic. Honestly, I get it. You can’t ruin businesses, aka people’s lives, without proof. Of course, there is tension since, if you are wrong, people are going to die.
But here’s why it doesn’t work for this movie. It is called Jaws 2. We know going into the movie exactly what is going on here. So waiting for the characters to catch up gets boring. Yes, we have some nice sequences of near misses and actual attacks. I enjoyed that, but it still made for a movie that dragged.
Brody’s two kids were recast for this film. Mark Gruner, who players older son Mike, is significantly older than I felt like the character was in the first film, while Marc Gilpin feels about right for younger son, Sean. Anyway, with Mike being a teen, we get quite a few teens here. Honestly, they felt a bit like the casts of a slasher film, which were still in their infancy. But these characters love sailing, which naturally puts them in danger. I will say, the movie doesn’t give us enough time to really get to know all of them, or really any of them beyond Mike and Sean. Then again, we don’t often get to know the characters in other horror movies super well.
But the sailing provides a nice way to put characters in danger in a fresh way. While it is set up early on, this becomes the focus of the final act. And here’s where the movie truly comes alive. The final act is one tense moment after another with several great sequences. Realistic? Probably not. But they are still very entertaining. And that includes the climax, which I don’t think would have worked out as well for the humans as it does here. But it’s possible I missed something.
I will give the cast this – they bring their characters to life the best they can with the script they have. They aren’t the issue. And I still felt the connection of the Brody family, especially Brody and Ellen.
The effects also hold up. Yes, there are a couple of moments where it is obvious we aren’t seeing a real shark, but the shark is used sparingly again, so the little we seem him, we are ready to buy it.
Keep in mind that this movie came out in 1978. I have a feeling it might be rated PG-13 if it were released today thanks to a few harsher swear words and the violence. Although I don’t think the violence was as bad as the first movie overall.
As I said in the opener, I feel like this movie is about the same as the first. I found the first to be just okay, and that’s ultimately how I feel about this one. Even though act three is an adrenalin ride.
If you enjoy the original, you might want to check out Jaws 2. While it has its flaws, it is a worthy sequel.
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