Jaws 2 (Jeannot Szwarc, 1978)

 There is a new shark off the coast of Amity.

And once again, sheriff Martin Brody’s (Roy Scheider) warnings are ignored.

Despite losing his job, Brody is forced to take action when his kids join a group of teenage sailors, and become the next dish on the shark’s menu.

Will Brody reach them in time?

Retaining the services of some of the key players from the original, Jaws 2 is a cruder picture, but still fairly effective on its own terms.

It is nigh-on impossible to imagine a sequel that could better Jaws, the definition of a closed loop.

Following a staggered, painful production that saw initial director John D. Hancock (Let’s Scare Jessica to Death) replaced by Jeannot Szwarc, and a radically re-written script, Jaws 2 remains a pulpy, sunny monster movie.

Benefiting from a bigger budget, the shark’s body count is scaled up, along with increased collateral damage (including a helicopter!).

 

Its third act is a slasher film in miniature, as a group of horned-up teens go sailing and run afoul of the shark, who shows a more deliberate, sadistic approach to picking its victims. It grows a little tiresome - the characters are not as well-drawn, and their constant screaming makes their scenes come off as monotonous.

 

Roy Scheider, back by contractual demand, gives Martin a weariness, bitterness and rage that feel both appropriate for the character - a traumatized man forced to re-engage with said trauma - and a reflection of the performer’s own feelings about the sequel.

There are a collection of effective moments - Martin’s discovery of the burned victim in the tide; the teens who stumble on the remains of a dead orca whale; Martin’s breakdown on the beach, and his dismissal as sheriff.

But there is a sense of rote-ness running through the film - a sense that they cannot get out of the shadow of the original.

One way they try to make a shift is in the decision to show the shark. It is both understandable - the shark has already been revealed in the previous movie - and ineffective.

For most of the runtime, the shark in Jaws was a mystery - an unseen threat which could be anywhere. 

That unpredictable menace is mostly absent from Jaws 2.

While it cannot stand up to the original (a thankless task), Jaws 2 has a lot to recommend it.

The production benefits from the change in location - most of the film was shot in Florida, which lends proceedings a deceptively pleasant atmosphere.

John Williams adds mightily to the film’s impact with a new score that does not rely on the themes from the original.

There is some great sailing photography.

The film lacks the same sense of control, and the set pieces are not as precise in their construction - there is some overly-hectic editing that screws with our sense of geography, and obvious cutting around the shark.

Overall, Jaws 2 is a middling sequel, but makes for a decent monster movie.

Related

Jaws

If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, buy me a coffee!