Ramsey Tupper 2008-08-15

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Superior film in every way to the predictable nature of the first Jaws, Jaws 2 still suffers from the unlikely idea of a giant fish attacking beach users and then the same policeman killing this other big fish. This is too silly. Fish don't get this big or unfriendly. The effects are just as amateur as the first one, and the plot, like most dangerous animal films, puts people in the situation of confronting such a beast rather than running away. I for one still go into the sea and have yet to find fish this big. A fishermans tale committed to film but at least no pirates this time. Don't waste your money on this stickleback, see Killerfish or Piranha instead Piranha [1978].

D. Lodge 2008-02-22

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Roy Scheider returns in this sequel and puts in a great performance. However, there's no Robert Shaw or Richard Dreyfuss . There's also no Spielberg which means we see the shark a bit too early and the general suspense of the original isn't there.

Jaws 2 always had a lot to live up to. It doesn't reach the great heights of the original but is a decent enough film in it's own right. If, like me, you loved the original then you'll enjoy this one enough.

6/10

carlosnightman 2007-12-15

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Without Spielberg and certain members of the original cast, this sequel to the seventies smash was never going to come close to being as good as its daddy. It has its moments though with a good amount of scares, humour and fair performances. As sequels to masterpieces go, it's not bad.

Jaws 2 takes place in the same resort town Amity a few years after the original, with Sheriff Brody trying to lead a safe, peaceful life with his family. However, a few recent deaths cause suspicion in his mind, and he finds the half-devoured corpse of a killer-whale he believes another Great White is attacking in the area. Naturally no-one believes him, thinking he has grown paranoid over past incidents. The money grabbing mayor is trying to make the town popular again and will not listen. A sailing event is taking place soon, and although Brody warns his kids to stay out of the water, they disobey him and go with their friends in various tiny boats an catamarans. Brody is fired for scaring tourists, and he goes looking for his kids. Meanwhile the shark attacks the many boats, killing some, and soon each person is struggling for their life on pieces of driftwood.

Jaws 2 is a film which takes a deeper look at Brody's family life, as well as the Mayor's, dealing with similar issues to the first. However, the action and death count is increased, but unlike most sequels this does not cause it to suffer. There is a good amount of tension created, and we never know whose boat is going to be attacked next. Once the sizes of the boats and shark are compared, we know the kids have little hope. The mix of kids is good, with certain characters giving funny moments. Mostly the performances are good, particularly from Scheider, while most of the annoying characters are happily eaten. Memorable moments include the finale, the water-skier scene, and of course the helicopter scene. Much better than the next two, though I have a habit of marking high.

Unfortunately the DVD does not have any strong extras, so unless you are a massive fan of the film, you'll be better off getting this in the box set. Still, as a stand alone it's cheap.

stuart 2007-10-27

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

As Amity prepares for a new resort complex to be opened, Police Chief Martin Brody, (Roy Scheider) and wife Ellen, (Lorraine Gary) are still taking care of sons Sean, (Marc Gilpin) and Michael, (Mark Gruner) due to their constant involvement in the water. A series of boating accidents in the local waters prompts Martin to suspect another shark in the area, which is laughed away by Mayor Larry Vaughn, (Murray Hamilton) for fear it would ruin the local developers. When a false alarm at a public beach leaves him without a job, he imposes a stricter ruling on his sons going out in the water. When he finally gets evidence that it's a shark in the waters, Michael goes out with friends Tina Wilcox, (Ann Duesenberry) Jackie Peters, (Donna Wilkes) Eddie Marchand, (Gary Dubin) Andy Nicholas, (Gary Springer) Brooke Peters, (Gigi Vorgan) Paul 'Polo' Loman, (John Dukakis) Timmy Weldon, (G. Thomas Dunlop) Larry Vaughn Jr., (David Elliot) and Doug Fetterman, (Keith Gordon) and goes water-skiing. When they are attacked by the shark, Martin races to their rescue before it takes them out.

The Good News: There is actually a lot to like in this one, and it's surprisingly decent. The shark in here is the best feature, being featured prominently and getting a chance to show off how great it looks. It's more believable than in the first one, and there's some really good suspense fathered from it's deformed and scarred face. The burn marks go the extra mile and give this beast a little more menace to it since it really looks more demonic and with the personality demonstrated, it makes for a more effective threat. There's a couple of great early attacks, where the fin surfaces behind an oblivious water-skier and trails them underwater for quite a long time until the eventual chomp, and the suspense is full-on and never really denied. All of the attacks lead to the film's one truly imaginative scene, the debacle at the beach when what Brody thinks is the shark turns out to be nothing more threatening than a school of blue-fish. The suspense apparent at the beginning is obvious, as the approaching figure does vaguely look like a shark at the spot from which it's spotted at, and the ending resolution is a nice twist. The film's main feat, though, is the sailboat massacre, which is a long, drawn out affair that really serves as the film's best part. From the moment the fin breaks the surface, causing general pandemonium to the continued assaults and breakthroughs of the defense barriers that follow, this sequence never stops. Throwing in the fear of devourment with a couple of really well-done stalk-and-bite scenes that really hold up quite well. The one scene that really holds a lot of cleverness is the spotting of the one place of sanctuary and upon realizing they're going off-course, paddle toward it only to be reminded of the shark and all immediately remove their hands and look around for it. Those little touches really make it effective. The helicopter downing is handled nicely, having an obstacle thrown at them that hammers home the hopelessness of the situation really clearly. The method for dispatching the creature isn't new, but it's nicely handled and really gets some suspense going, especially the shot of the massive creature bearing down on it. All in all, this wasn't all that terrible for a sequel.

The Bad News: There really isn't a lot here that this doesn't do right, and most of that is the fact that film feels too padded out at times. It takes forever to get to the center-piece of the film, the assault on the sailboats, and the wait to get there is filled with certain scenes that really don't need to be as long as they are. It takes far too long to get started, as there's too much time at the opening party, the sub-plot of the firing takes a little too much time to come forward when it's obvious early on, and the several others, while necessary, just take a while to get going. The film also really falls short when it comes to the feel in the town. There's a flatness about it, a lack of imagination in the camera set-ups and the establishing shots, and along with an over-reliance on travelogue-y fun-on-the-water inserts, robs the film of much of its potential visual interest. One of the most annoying things, though, about this film is the repetition of the we-can't-close the-beaches plot thread from the original. The mixture of skepticism and greed worked in the first one, where no one had any reason to think there might be a shark around; and here, it's acceptable in the developer who is new in town. However, this attitude is farcical in anyone who lived through Amity's previous nightmare summer, and even more so in a man whose son spends all of his free time out on the water. The repetition of this useless and really irritating subplot really takes most of the film's energy from it, but beyond these, the film isn't that bad.

The Final Verdict: Unnecessarily maligned for such a really good film, this is a surprisingly watchable film that lives on it's own and really comes across as a decent film in it's own right. Watch it in a really open mind-state and it might be an entertaining thrill ride, but going in expecting a repeat of the original will really deprive of much that the film does right.

S.C. 2007-07-31

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

i really wish people would stop criticising this movie, as far as other sequels go this one is a god-send! ok, in the shadow of the first film, it is impossible for this sequel to have beaten its predecessor, but it is still brilliant! i had seen the first movie several times when i was younger and was just dying to watch the sequel. on my seventh birthday i was presented with the video (of course ive upgraded to dvd since, which has some amusing features by the way) and i swear i have never since been so delighted! and i enjoyed every second of the movie to boot! the sequence with the hang glider dipping in the water had me on tenterhooks, and of course the fabulous waterskiing sequence that directly follows! watching the film now many years later, i admit that the director spent too much time on the land with this film- and those incredibly annoying teenagers that star in the movie! but i still love it, the sequence wih the little red boat had me near enough wetting myself at the tender age of seven! all fans of the original, buy this dvd, its really good. dont judge it in comparison with the first movie- there aren't many movies that can equal to its splendour, but as a sequel, jaws 2 really hits the spot.