RECENT WATCHES: Jaws 2 (1978)

There was no way a movie as massively successful as “Jaws” wasn’t going to get a sequel. When a movie makes that much money, the studio naturally wants more of it. This was true even at the beginning of the blockbuster era. However, no one was eager to make “Jaws 2.” After having such a difficult time making the first one, Steven Spielberg vehemently rejected the offer to direct. The production went through two directors. John D. Hancock was fired after several weeks, with Jeannot Szwarc hastily being brought in as a replacement. Roy Scheider only returned to the part of Martin Brody to fulfil a contract with Universal. He actively loathed making the movie and frequently argued with Szwarc. Despite its troubled production, “Jaws 2” still went on to become a monster hit, becoming the seventh high-grossing film of the year. Some of the thanks has to be laid at the clever, frequently parodied tagline: “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...”

A big problem with making a sequel to “Jaws” is how difficult it is to follow up the premise. What? Is another giant great white shark going to swim into the waters around Amity Island and start eating more people? Apparently, yes. The same shit happens to the same town a second time. While divers are photographing the wreckage of the Orca, another shark attacks. After a few people are killed and a half-eaten whale washes up on the beach, Sheriff Brody begins to worry that history is repeating itself. Just like last time, the Mayor ignores his pleas and insists that the beach stays open. Unfortunately, the shark attacks on the same weekend Brody’s sons and a bunch of their teenage friends decide to go sailing, forcing the sheriff to once again take matters into his own hands.

“Jaws 2” is, somewhat inevitably, a less classy affair then the original. In any many ways, it resembles the slasher films that would become popular in the next decade. The shark attacks are a little more gimmicky, with Bruce the Second pulling a water skier under the waves or blowing up a boat. Probably the broadest moment in the sequel occurs when the shark successfully takes down a helicopter. There’s none of the slowly creeping tension of the first film. The shark is shown in full detail early on, sapping away most of its threatening power. Instead of being a nearly supernatural phantasm of death, the great white becomes a cartoonish, unlikely threat. The animal’s full transformation into comic book supervillain is confirmed when half of its face is badly scarred in the aforementioned boat explosion. The only tension “Jaws 2” generates is of the cheap and easy “jump-scare” variety, John Williams’ score blaring whenever the predator’s head screams out of the water or through a boat sail. To confirm its status as an aquatic precursor to the slasher flick, “Jaws 2” mostly revolves around teenagers. 

To give credit where it’s due, “Jaws 2” is a little less shallow than it needed to be. The teens are a relatively indistinct lot. There’s the nerd, the clown, the horny boyfriend and girlfriend, and the religious girl. Many others don’t even get that much personality. Mike Brody is mostly characterized as the rebellious teenage son who learns the hard way that his dad was right. Even if the teens aren't that captivating, their plight is decently constructed. After her boyfriend is eaten, a girl is reduced to a babbling, terrified headcase. After a few victims are claimed, the religious girl falls to her knees and begins to pray. When focusing on the kids, stranded at sea and cornered by a killer shark, “Jaws 2” reveals that it could have been a decent survival thriller with a less cliched plot and a more focused script.

The best thing about “Jaws 2,” the only element really elevating the film above a standard rehash sequel, is Ray Scheider. You’d think after the first film, Martin Brody would never want to look at the ocean ever again. However, since his devotion to his family and his community was so great, you also can’t imagine him leaving Amity Island. “Jaws 2” has Brody going through many of the same steps as last time. The Mayor and other local authorities don’t believe him, even when he presents them with a picture of the shark. This time, it even costs Brody his job. 

However, the sheriff is more nervous. On a busy beach, he rushes out, screaming “Shark!,” shooting at a school of blue fin. Since his kids are directly endangered, Brody is even more invested in the climax. The final duel between Brody and the shark creates some okay thrills. Scheider might have been displeased with the script but he never let it show. His performance is as convinced as last time, even when electrocuting the monster to death with a conveniently placed power cord.

“Jaws 2” is about as routine a repetitive sequel as you could expect. The product could have been way crasser, all things considered. Bringing Schieder back was a great move. Ultimately, there’s not very much memorable about “Jaws 2.” Aside from Brody, the follow-up doesn't have a single interesting character. The attack sequences are only especially entertaining when going to the more absurd reaches. Szwarc's direction is competent and can generate one or two clever scenes. Ultimately, "Jaws 2" grossly pales in comparison to the original. How couldn't it? Yet it doesn’t even stand on its own as a guilty pleasure. [5/10]