Jaws 2 (1978)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Jeannot Szwarc

Writers:

Peter Benchley (characters)
Carl Gottlieb (written by) ...

Release Date:

16 June 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

Plot:

Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.

Plot Keywords:

Shark | Island | Mayor | Beach | Police Chief

Cast

Roy Scheider	...	Police Chief Martin Brody
Lorraine Gary	...	Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton	...	Mayor Larry Vaughn
Joseph Mascolo	...	Len Peterson
Jeffrey Kramer	...	Deputy Jeff Hendricks
Collin Wilcox Paxton	...	Dr. Lureen Elkins (as Collin Wilcox)
Ann Dusenberry	...	Tina Wilcox
Mark Gruner	...	Michael 'Mike' Brody
Barry Coe	...	Tom Andrews
Susan French	...	Grace Witherspoon - Old Lady
Gary Springer	...	Andy Nicholas
Donna Wilkes	...	Jackie Peters
Gary Dubin	...	Eddie Marchand
John Dukakis	...	Paul 'Polo' Loman
G. Thomas Dunlop	...	Timmy Weldon

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (2001) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Norway:15 (DVD) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:12 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | USA:PG (certificate #25237) | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Chappaquiddick Island, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Murray Hamilton's scenes were shot hurriedly because his wife was in failing health during production of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: The shark in Jaws (1975) smashed through the left side of the Orca, but at the beginning of this film when the divers find the wreck of the Orca, the left side is untouched.

Quotes:

Sean Brody: What's after Cable Junction?
Bob: The Atlantic. Then Ireland.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

No "Jaws" but not bad

Was there ever a doubt that "Jaws 2" wouldn't stand a chance of equaling the original film? One could only hope that on its own level it was a decent film. And that is exactly what we get. To try and view this film and compare it to the original is an impossible task. The original "Jaws" is one of the great films of all time. Viewers need to approach "Jaws 2" with the first film completely out of mind.

The sequel picks up a few years after the first film. The setting is the same (Amity Island) and Roy Scheider is back as Chief Brody. Also returning are Murray Hamilton as the Mayor, Lorraine Gary as Mrs. Brody, and Jeffery Kramer as deputy Hendricks. Gary and Kramer have bigger parts this time around while Hamilton still mills about not doing much of anything as he did in the original.

The story this time centers around the teenagers of Amity Island headed by the older Brody sons (who are amazingly quite older then just the few years passed), particularly older brother Mike and his friends. They all like parasailing and you know what that means right? Early on Brody starts getting indications of another shark problem and takes his concerns to the town board and mayor. One of the biggest flaws in the film is their attitude, which is the same as the mayor's in the first film. Wouldn't you think they might have a little concern considering what had happened a few years earlier? The movie moves at a snail's pace for the first hour but things pick up in the second half once the teenagers take the sailboats out and realize the trouble that awaits them.

On the positive side the shark looks as good, if not better, then in the first film. It is completely convincing. Scheider gives his usual solid performance despite playing second fiddle to a mechanical fish. And the second half of the film is quite suspenseful at times. There is one shot that has to be seen to be believed. An unconscience Mike Brody is in the water with the shark fast approaching. His friends are trying to lift him into the boat. The shark comes out of the water and.... well I won't tell you what happens but I think it is the best shark shot in the entire series of "Jaws" films.

On the negative side the characters of the teenagers are pretty one dimensional and we don't get to know many of them well enough to care if they end up as shark dinner or not. One of the teens played by Donna Wilkes spends the last half hour doing nothing but screaming. The screams are so annoying either you almost wish she would fall in the water and be done with it. A scene with a helicopter in the water is as ridiculous as things can get. The ending (not revealed here) is a touch silly but if you think about it the ending to the original was no more silly.

In the end "Jaws 2" is a decent but not great followup. For those that truly dislike the film I invite them to watch "Jaws 3" or "Jaws: The Revenge". Those films make part 2 look like the classic the first one is.