Underrated


While the first Jaws was an instant classic and still one my favorite all time movies, this sequel was still pretty good. Nowhere near the classic the first one was, but entertaining in it's own right.

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It definitely has some scenes that are worthy of the original.

That part where Brody is on the beach, spots something floating in the water and then slowly wades out to it, is an outstanding example of suspenseful filmmaking. As the water gets deeper, and Brody gets further from the shoreline, and then those ominous camera angles that look as if the shark is watching and waiting for him - just perfect. The isolation of Brody being the only person on the beach. The only sound is the crashing of the waves. Everytime I watch that scene, I still think the shark is right there. You can actually feel it - it's tangible. The scene ends with a generic scare of the body jumping out from the debris, but the build up to it was great.

The opening is also amazing. You see scuba divers discovering the sunken Orca wreck (awesome call back to the first) and John Williams' score really makes you feel as if you're immersed in this beautiful underwater kingdom as the divers swim around.. until the Jaws theme suddenly kicks in and all of a sudden you know what's going to happen.

Other memorable scenes include the shark chasing the speedboat, the person being flung into the water on the rope who gets pulled out at the last second, the lobster hunt, and Brody developing the photograph which shows an eerie profile of the shark.

Also, having Roy Schneider back as Chief Brody is what saved the movie along with John Williams' score.

And you can deal with me; Doug Masters!

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All great scenes!! The only thing I might have changed about the beginning with the divers is seeing the shark. I think it would've been better if we as an audience never saw the shark much like the beginning of the first. Other than that it was great!

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I don't think you really see the shark in the opening scene. You see its shadow, but you never get a clear look at it.

What I like about Jaws 2 is that it realizes the cat is out the bag. We've already seen the shark in detail before, so it figured 'lets just have a whole load of fun set pieces' with the shark unleashed in them. It made for a fun sequel.

And you can deal with me; Doug Masters!

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This movie gets unfairly flunked in with the other sequels, and because they are generally regarded as extremely bad and dismal (though Jaws 3-D still has it's moments), Jaws 2 also gets this stigma.

If there had been no more follow-ups, I think Jaws 2 would of been generally seen for what it is: A very solid follow-up and would probably score at least 6.5-7.0 here on IMDB instead of 5.7.

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For all their flaws, I still think Jaws 3 & 4 are better shark movies than most of the garbage that's come out since. Stuff like Shark Night 3D, The Shallows, Open Water, Shark Lake, Open Water etc. I'd also say they're at least more fun than Deep Blue Sea (which is a quite a mean spirited film) even though DBS is probably superior on a technical level.

Jaws 3 & 4 may not be good films, but they've got big budgets, a camp & OTT tone (don't take themselves too seriously), good music scores and also have some good actors. They're pretty bad, but they have charm.


And you can deal with me; Doug Masters!

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can't say it any better; maybe you forgot to add the helicopter scene.

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That was a good scene, too, but just for that dude's enviable 70s beard.

My name is Hendry William French

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I don't think it's underrated if one considers it a true Jaws sequel, in which it pretty much fails to deliver the thrills, anxiety, shock, horror, humor, and characterization of Jaws. Considered only in that sense, it deserves to be underrated.

However, if viewed more as more novel, separate film done in a sort of "Jaws tradition", it could possibly have worked much better, because audience expectation would not have been pumped with the unrealistic and false expectation that it, in any serious way, rivaled the Spielberg film. A killer shark returns to Amity, but the circumstances are different from the first film, as are the characters and some of the settings. Perhaps it should have been set much later than 1978, Brody could have been presented as being somewhat older, maybe semi-retired, and then brought back to confront the new shark: a new film with its own "mojo" and its own "feel"...

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I see your point. I think they sincerely tried to make it as good as the first, but Jaws caught lightning in a bottle. It is the instant classic that was never meant to be.

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Exactly. That being said, I think they did the best they could do - and provided some good entertainment.

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... if viewed more as more novel, separate film done in a sort of "Jaws tradition", it could possibly have worked much better, because audience expectation would not have been pumped with the unrealistic and false expectation that it, in any serious way, rivaled the Spielberg film.
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Many people at the time of the release, wouldn't have been comparing it as a Spielberg film though. It would have been anticipated as a sequel to a very popular film, and the director would've been irrelevant to most of general film going public. Spielberg wasn't exactly a household name either in 78', only to discerning filmgoers.

JAWS 2, is a decent and terrific sequel, that was well photographed, skillfully directed, decently acted, and I would even go as far to say as better scored by John Williams, than the original. Apparently, Roy Scheider was a tad bitter about doing this sequel due to contractual obligations and had frequent clashes with the director, but he still gives a strong showing and it doesn't appear to hamper the end product of his performance.

If there is a dated flaw, it is in the pacing of the first hour or so. There are some excellent set pieces, but some sequences needed tightening up and the first part of the film could have done with about 10\12 mins cut out of it. The film was interesting, in that it focused on the drama of Brody and his family; but it needed to get to the meat of the story quicker. At any rate, I couldn't care less that Spielberg wasn't involved in the production—and I am a big fan of Spielberg—as what Universal and Jeannot Szwarc presented before us was a top-notch professional production that didn't disappoint. I may have a nostalgia pang for JAWS 2, since I saw it on original release before I saw JAWS-75' at the cinema, on a re-release in the very early 80's.

Don't eat the whole ones! Those are for the guests. 🍪

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It certainly is underrated, but the first is probably overrated a bit too.

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I think it's a bit underrated, as well. I mean, the whole teen sub-plot really takes up way the hell too much time, especially since they're all just awful actors. But the film had some really great moments.

1: The opening, with the divers.
2: The appearance of the shark in the town bay; you see the water swirl, some birds fly away, and a boat move...then the shark sort of appears and surfaces just enough to see his fin. Creepy.
3: The film developed of the shark's eye.
4: Marge getting eaten.
5: The helicopter attack (goofy but effective).
6: Brody wading out to find the piece of speedboat.
7: Brody's obvious worry, when trying to reach Hooper and making poison bullets.

And through all of this, of course, was William's fantastic score. Now, THAT was under-rated. He did a great job weaving in elements of the original with whole new themes, and it's just a great score all on it's own.

Whores will have their trinkets.

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Agreed. Yes it isn't Jaws ( what is ) but it's still a pretty decent follow up film. The screaming teens get a bit annoying at times but it was great to see Brody battling a new shark alone without the help of Quint and Hooper.

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