Jaws 2 (1978) Universal/Horror-Thriller RT: 117 minutes Rated PG (violence, gore, intense scenes of terror, language, vulgar remarks, teen drinking) Director: Jeannot Szwarc Screenplay: Carl Gottleib and Howard Sackler Music: John Williams Cinematography: Michael Butler Release date: June 16, 1978 (US) Cast: Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Joseph Mascolo, Jeffrey Kramer, Ann Dusenberry, Mark Gruner, Barry Coe, Susan French, Gary Springer, Donna Wilkes, Keith Gordon, Gary Dubin, John Dukakis, Marc Gilpin. Box Office: $77.7M (US)/$208.9M (World)
Rating: ***
It’s obvious that Steven Spielberg had nothing to do with Jaws 2, the sequel to the smash hit movie of 1975, the first ever “summer blockbuster”. It’s still an entertaining movie, but the whole sense of dread and terror is gone because we already know that a great white shark is responsible for all the bloody mayhem. It suffers from that non-rare condition called “sequelitis” for which there is no cure.
Set about five years after the first movie, Chief Martin Brody (Scheider) has reason to believe that another great white shark has invaded the peaceful waters of Amity Island. Well, “peaceful” is a relative term considering that Brody’s oldest son Mike (Gruner, A Little Game) is a teenager now. It’s summer vacation and he spends his days sailing around the surrounding waters with his friends, whooping it up and having a great time. These kids have no reason to believe danger lurks beneath the surface of the placid waters.
We, on the other hand, know there’s a threat. In the opening scene, a couple of underwater photographers happen across the sunken wreckage of the Orca. Almost immediately, they’re attacked and killed by a great white. A little later, a water skier is attacked and the motorboat explodes while the driver is trying to fend off the dorsal-finned attacker. Realizing that something is amiss after finding the partially eaten corpse of a killer whale, Brody beaches Mike and forces him to get a job.
Another shark problem couldn’t have come at a worse time. Real estate developer Len Peterson (Mascolo, Sharky’s Machine) has just built a new resort to attract people to Amity. Brody wants to shut down the beach immediately. Mayor Vaughn (Hamilton, 1941) again orders Brody not to because it would drive off potential investors. Will this guy ever learn?
Brody gets fired after causing a mass panic on the beach when he open fires on a school of bluefish he mistook for a shark. Mike, looking to impress a girl, sneaks off with the others for a trip to the lighthouse to do a little day-drinking. Younger brother Sean (Gilpin, Earthbound) blackmails Mike into taking him along. Before you can say “predictable situation”, the shark shows up and starts terrorizing the teens, leaving them stranded and vulnerable in the ocean. Once Brody gets wind of this, he heads out to find the kids on his own. Never mind that he doesn’t know how to operate a boat.
Jaws 2 is not a bad sequel, it’s not even close to that. It’s just that some of the more effective components of the first movie are missing. It would have been impossible to bring back Robert Shaw as Quint. Dreyfuss opted not to return for the sequel; it’s explained that his character is on a research expedition in Antarctica. Spielberg didn’t return either so Jaws 2 was put in the hands of Jeannot Szwarc (Supergirl, Santa Claus: The Movie). He didn’t do such a bad job. It’s not his fault that the material is fairly predictable. We know the shark is going to go after the partying teenagers. We know that not all of them are going to live to see their next birthday. We’re given a clue as to how Brody will destroy this shark after he learns that they respond to low-frequency noises. We know his wife will stand by her man even if everybody else thinks the guy has gone shark-crazy. In other words, there are no real surprises here. Sure, it gets ridiculous like when the shark attacks a rescue helicopter and pulls it under the water. It’s still a fun ride though.
Speaking of the teens, there are a lot of them. They’re kind of a mob really. We don’t really get to know many of them too well. Local beauty queen Tina (Dusenberry, Basic Training) and Eddie (Dubin, Time Walker) are a couple. Andy (Springer, Hometown U.S.A.) is Mike’s best bud. Timmy (Dunlop) looks like a 70s version of Napoleon Dynamite. Larry (Elliott, The Possession of Joel Delaney) is the mayor’s son. For me, the stand-outs are Jackie (Wilkes, Angel) and Doug (Gordon, Christine). She’s visiting her cousin Brooke (Vorgan, Hardcore) for the summer; he’s a geeky sort. Any one of these kids is ripe for the picking. They’re basically shark bait.
Scheider, even though there was tension on the set between him and the director, turns in another good performance. However, it’s sort of a letdown that he doesn’t have any colorful characters like Quint and Hooper assisting him this time. He’s on his own. While Scheider makes a very good action hero, it was the supporting characters that made the first movie so memorable. Hamilton is good as the thick-headed mayor more concerned about the tourist trade than their safety. Gary, whose character works for the developer as an assistant, gives a solid performance as the supportive wife.
Joe Alves, who designed the original Bruce the shark, returns for Jaws 2. He was also the original choice to direct, but the studio brought in Szwarc to do the job. The shark effects, mainly the work of Robert Mattey and Roy Arbogast, are still great. The score by John Williams is good, but not iconic. The Martha’s Vineyard locations are still gorgeous.
Jaws 2 is the first Jaws movie I saw at the cinema (the 1980 re-release) and I loved it. By that time, I was sick and tired of kiddie crap. It was one of the first movies I saw that wasn’t for small children. I still like it. It’s actually pretty good for a sequel. It’s definitely better than the two that followed. In my personal and professional opinion, the studio should have stopped the Jaws movies right here. But as we all know, normal logic doesn’t always prevail in mainstream Hollywood. If there’s a buck to be made and suckers to be had, the studios are all over it.
TRIVIA TIDBIT: Jaws 2 was the second terror in the water movie that summer to feature a greedy developer as its human antagonist. The other is Joe Dante’s Piranha.
