Jaws 2

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Buy This Item Jaws 2 by Universal Studios  Available from Amazon  $8.99  on 11-14-2008     Ushering in the age of the inferior sequel, <I>Jaws 2</I> was essentially a license to print money. Indeed, the film did very well despite blatantly replicating the plot of Steven Spielberg's original, though to lesser effect. Roy Scheider returns as Martin Brody, sheriff of the small island town of Amity. Just as the beachside resort is rebounding from the previous movie's shark attacks, another great white is snacking on divers and water-skiers. Naturally, the town fathers don't want to confront reality and choose to proceed with a lucrative sailing regatta, resulting in a grisly loss of life. Besides the fact that director Jeannot Szwarc takes an impersonal, workaday approach to the film, <I>Jaws 2</I> manages to be both stylistically flat and openly cynical about its commercial intentions. Of chief interest here is Scheider's performance, which wisely reflects the emotional fallout from Brody's last trauma in his obsessive behavior here. <I>--Tom Keogh</I> Reader Reviews 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

Jaws 2 Available from Amazon Price: $8.99 Updated on 11-14-2008.

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