Jaws 2
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Movie Reviews of Jaws 2
Movie Review: Worthy Sequel
Summary: 4 Stars
As far as sequels are concerned, Jaws 2 is not a bad follow-up to one of the greatest films ever made.The producers of course must have faced a near impossible task to do another segment of an all time classic, for while a sequel was inevitable due to the huge returns that Jaws brought in, the shape, development and style of the film had to be faithful to the original in varying degrees to ensure another commercial and artistic success on their hands and not just a lame imitation.And surely they have had their share of difficulties with the sacking of the first director assigned to the task John Hancock, bringing in Frenchman Jeannot Szwarc,doing several rewrites, facing very harsh filming condition, before the final product hit the big screens.
And to be fair Jaws 2 has a lot going for it,
Firstly,hiring the same writers, production team,and keeping most of the old characters from the first film ensured familiarity to the viewer.Casting Roy Scheider again as chief Brody and Lorraine Gary as his wife, in addition to Murray Hamilton as Mayor Vaughn, the story of Jaws 2 was in a way a continuation rather than an imitation of the first film , and this alone guarantees a certain appeal.
The acting in Jaws 2, especially from Scheider is way above average,and the excellent scene when Brody is sacked and comes back to the arms of his comforting wife, is a short but valuable distraction into family drama territory.
Secondly, Jeannot Szwarc is an able director,who now concentrates on TV work( directing episodes of Ally Mc Beal and CIS Miami) but who has had good films to his name, most notably the underrated spy thriller Enigma and the romantic weepie Somewhere in Time.
While in Jaws, Quint's speech about the Indianapolis attacks was chilling and a classic, I felt that the last part of Jaws 2 with all the kids trapped in a sea of wreckage at the mercy of the shark was inspired directly by this incident.
Thirdly, the DVD extras are brilliant! The making of segment is 44 minutes long!! and you get a good insight into the making of the film and the difficulties they faced, while the deleted scenes although just three, are very interesting. For instance we see what happened to the helicopter pilot under water! and the voting of the town's council that resulted in the sacking of Brody.
Well of course Jaws 2 is not flawless, and what works against it in my opinion is the following,
First the shark does look more mechanical than it did in the first film. The fact that the writers decided to burn half of the shark's head at the begining of the movie in its boat attack/accident, somehow accentuated the mechanical look of the animal. Morever,the use of real shark footage from the stock of Ron and Valerie Taylor was minimal and not as much as in Jaws, which would have brought more needed authenticity to the look of the shark.
So Jaws 2 is a good follow up to Jaws, not as great as the first (no film in this genre will come close to that classic), but at least it is done with a lot of dedication from all involved, a movie that will still make you look at the ocean with a sense of trepidation and fear.
Movie Review: This film works and the backstage material is great
Summary: 4 Stars
I was six when I first saw the original "Jaws" in the theatre, so I saw "Jaws 2" in its theatrical release at the far more mature age of nine. At the time, I really liked this sequel more. I don't feel this way now, but my reasoning wasn't bad for a pre-adolescent: the shark scenes are complicated and beautifully staged (especially the first attack on the catamarans), Roy Scheider's performance fleshes out even more depth of his character, and John Williams' score is a masterpiece....but of course it's not better than the original.
A few thoughts: the original has always received all the accolades, and then all of the coverage (a la interviews, behind the scenes info, etc.). I love all that this DVD has to offer: the documentary brings in Zanuck & Brown (not surprisingly, both very smart and articulate), Joe Alves, Carl Gottlieb, and director Jeannot Szwarc. (I do wish that Scheider had participated.) As a theatrical actor, director, and teacher of theatre, I couldn't get enough of all that those connected with the film offered. Szwarc particularly impressed me; some have criticized his direction of the film as a Spielberg ..., but he demonstrates that he did his homework and made a film that was truly his own. For example, I've never liked the fact that the film shows the shark in all its glory so early, but Szwarc explains why this was a deliberate choice. (I still don't agree, but it's good to hear a smart director defend his choices.)
Actor/director Keith Gordon also delivers a wonderful short film chronicling his experience with "Jaws 2," and it is also not surprisingly excellent, full of great story-telling and humor. (If you haven't seen "The Chocolate War" and "A Midnight Clear," these are two superb independent films which he directed.)
I do have a few complaints. Is it me, or does the widescreen here look just slightly squashed from side-to side? It looks like it needed some more black on the letterboxing to me...also, I don;t have home theatre, so I can't tell if the sound is as disappointing as some of these reviews have said.
And finally, the one shot in the film that drives me crazy is the one that concludes the extraordinary sequence in which Mike is pulled on board the catamaran just as the shark propels by the boat. Everything works until the shark opens its mouth, and the rubber or the shark's nose bends in a totally unnatural way. Szwarc explains how difficult that shot was to get so we can forgive it...but it's always taken me out of the moment of suspense to see that, and I wish that he had said "[darn] it, I wish the nose didn't do that."
Well, this is nit-picking, isn't it? I definitely recommend this film -- and for me, the DVD is a winner. Long live nine year-old film critics!
Movie Review: The only worthy sequal in the series
Summary: 4 Stars
The news was shocking that I watched Jaws 2 just the other day, admiring the only superb standout of the film in Roy Scheider's performance, then learning the next morning the wonderful actor passed away. It wasn't the shark that made Jaws and Jaws 2 so loveable on a personal note, but the character of Chief Brody - husband, father, and just your everyday guy you can relate to and want everyone to listen to. The cast in Jaws 2 loses the sting of the original, this time focused more on a group of teenagers rather then the 3-some combination of Brody, Hooper and Quint of the original. The inclusion of younger teens in the mix adds a bit to the horror element though, as opposed to pitting much more experienced men in the scenario. But the overall horror in the movie felt a little more toned down. The shark is more visible throughout this film, and looks even more fake this time. The absence of seeing the shark throughout most of the first film is what kept the horror intense. Overall, this is a good sequal, and the only good sequal in the series.
Brody's character takes on even more of a lead role this time, and Scheider does a fantastic job. He is still the guy you can relate to, just making a living, taking care of family, and trying to do the right thing by standing by it to the very end - literally, when he gets fired from his job. The town leaders are ignorant, again, to the supposed facts of another shark until its too late. A group of teenagers (including both of Brody's sons) set out sailing in rather flimsy boats and get attcked by the shark, leaving them adrift, slowly heading for a small rock island known as "Cable Junction" - the last hope before hitting the open ocean. I actually enjoyed the first half of this film much more, it sets everything up well, especially with Brody. The second half of the film is more about the shark attacks on the teenagers, which is fun but the characters and the plot lose the intensity of the first half, oddly enough. The dvd includes some deleted scenes, one is actually pretty decent with the shark attack on the helicopter pilot, trapped in his helicopter after it flipped over in the water. I would have loved them to include this scene in the film.
Jaws 2 distances itself from the original in terms of a tight cast, script and story, but is still much better than Jaws 3 and 4. The overall plot is actually very similar to the first film, just not as neatly produced. The horror elements are certainly there, but again, not quite as exciting. This is still worth checking out, especially to see Roy Scheider in another fantastic acting role.
Acting - 4
Characters - 4
Horror - 4
Story - 3.5
Overall - 4
Movie Review: Jaws 2
Summary: 4 Stars
Jaws 2 pickes up four years after the original,and it's not as bad as some say.While its no where near as good it's predecessor it is far better than most other shark films. The plot of Jaws 2 is that another,bigger shark has found its way into the waters of Amity,the same island from the original,.
After the some boaters are killed police chief Brody,one of the heros of the first film, is sure that another shark is patroling the shores of Amity,but most people think he is just paranoid.
Chief Brody almost goes crazy trying to get the city counsel to do somthing about the shark,but still they don't believe him.Then one day at the beach Brody goes insane ,and starts shooting bullets into water the because he thought he saw the shark,but it was only a school of fish.The next day Brody is fired for causing panic on a public beach.After all that Brody reaches his breaking point,and just simpily gives up,that is until he learns that his sons have sneaked out to go sailing with some friends,the mayors son is among them,.Then the action starts as Brody his wife Ellen,and Hendricks,his former deputy turned chief, go out to save the teens,and kill the shark.
I Think this movie was good,yes some parts were a bit stupid,but hey its a sequel.Roy Scheider dose a great job as a man who is powerless to stop the beast because of the mayors love of money. Murry Hamilton also gives a good preformance as the greedy mayor whose only concern is the money,not the people of Amity.I beleive that both Scheider and Hamilton hold this film together in it's weakest moments.Also John Williams score is magnificent,it is ALMOST as good as his score for the original
The writres and director did a nice job too.
In conclusion this film would have done better if it was not expected to be as good as the original.I would recomend it those who enjoyed the first or those just looking for a good movie to watch
Movie Review: The first and best sequel to my favorite movie of all time.
Summary: 4 Stars
Jaws 2 is a fun rollercoaster ride of a summer movie, nothing more. It certainly has been maligned by critics and fans for a variety of reasons, but the brilliant background material on this disc clearly shows the quite intelligent reasons why Zanuck/Brown went with the replicate the first movie route instead of breaking new ground. Director Jeannot Szwarc also comes across as a far more intelligent and thoughtful filmmaker than he has been given credit for, that he was able to make a film both stylistcally similiar to Jaws and yet add touches that were uniquely his own (i.e. the ride 'em cowboy POV from the shark's back, etc.) is a perfect example of that. Carl Gottlieb (collaborating screenwriter/script doctor) of the first three films shows a welcome sense of humor about both his work on and the audience reaction to this film. Certainly Jaws 2 suffers from poor creative decisions, a troubled production (the firing of the first director, countless rewrites, and the to be expected mechanical shark problems), and the fact that it was a direct follow up to a wildly succesful movie AND pop culture phenomonom almost doomed it from the start. But the movie is still well made, well acted, and the shark attack scenes are outstanding. A few may grumble that they are telegraphed far too clearly but this was an intentional approach by Szwarc. He felt that the attack scenes were primarily what the audience was there for, to see people get eaten by the shark. The cat and mouse games of the first film would only irritate them, or so he believed at the time.All in all I think this was the best they could do at the time and the movie is well worth watching. It's frothy summer movie fun that, with the exception of the attack scenes, is almost easy to forget (which makes repeated viewings a lot easier). Jaws 2 is not a great movie, but neither is it a bad one.