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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful.
No Masterpiece, But Still Worthwhile…
By Joshua Chipman
To believe that any effort to make a ‘Jaws’ sequel could compare with the impact of Steven Spielberg’s original was a doomed notion even in 1978: the original was and is a cinematic classic of the highest order (despite having spent much of the ’90s in almost-infinite rerun on the Turner networks), so much so that no sequel would ever have been able to measure up to its legacy. What happened basically is this: Universal execs saw the budget and schedule for ‘Jaws’ balloon so badly because of all its production troubles that they told Spielberg he’d never work in Hollywood again, UNTIL the movie was released and broke every box-office record imaginable. As they are wont to do in the face of staggering profit, these moneymongers quickly turned keel and told Spielberg they were behind him 100 percent the whole time and they wanted to know when he was planning to start shooting ‘Jaws 2′. Spielberg, being smart, said ‘No thanks’, so the execs decided to go ahead with ‘Jaws 2′ without him. BIG mistake.Thankfully, though, producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown remained in charge of things, and got the highly-underrated director Jeannot Szwarc to try to pick up the pieces, even going so far as to re-enlist the incomparable John Williams to score the film. The end result is a sequel that is essentially the ‘Jurassic Park 2′ of its day – critically landblasted, commercially eschewed, yet despite its dramatic idiosyncracies and the impossibility of competing with the original film, proves to be an entertaining follow-up nonetheless.Much of the original cast returns, save Richard Dreyfuss (who, like Spielberg, was smart enough to know when to pass) and Robert Shaw (who, apart from his character being killed in the original, had himself died of a heart attack in 1978). But Roy Scheider’s return is the saving grace here, as now he’s given new dimensions to his character: his growing spite toward his wife’s boss, his desperation in trying to prove that a new shark has arrived despite a more skeptical public this time around (since sharks rarely attack the same place twice, you can’t really blame them). The acting remains solid in ‘Jaws 2′ – Murray Hamilton’s character is a refreshing surprise, still just as disbelieving yet he can’t help but be a little sympathetic for Brody this time – and remains that way even during the straining final hour of the film when Szwarc has to resort to the all-out terror of having the teenage daysailers menaced by the monolithic maneater.Then there’s the whole aspect of the shark itself. Since there’s only so many times you can have a different giant shark attack the same island, the movie stretches its premise to the maximum level of plausibility. The shark’s feats this time around are, to say the least, improbable – outrunning a speedboat and being able to sink a mini-copter, in particular – but Szwarc captures them on film quite well, and their absurdity pales in comparison to what we get in the last two entries in the series. And Szwarc and screenwriters Carl Gottlieb (returning from the original) and Howard Sackler (who contributed to the original but turned down screen credit) send their shark out in a death scene that has much more panache than the ‘shoot-the-scuba-tank-stuck-in-its-mouth’ gag.’Jaws 2′ has its bland and silly moments, but if you loved the suspense of the original, then this entry in the series is about the only follow-up that you might find truly worth your time and money.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water…
By Gunner
Jaws II DVDRoy Scheider returns as the police chief of Amity, a resort town somewhere in New England, which has been terrorized by a Great white Shark (GWS)Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, he’s back.The excellent music composed by John Williams will always make me think of JAWS.Watch out for the seabirds, they’ll know when the GWS is around.The parasailing shown reminded me of using a bobber while fishing or fly fishing for trout… The skier was like trolling for marlin. When the ski boat blows up there is no direct evidence of what happened and of course the mayor and the city council don’t want to believe. The police chief is fired. He didn’t help himself when he cleared the beach and shot at a school of blue fish.Throughout the movie the GWS is anthropomorphized so that we / the movie makers give him almost human intelligence.Not recommended for anyone who wants to swim in the ocean. For me it’s swimming pools from now on, Baby.Gunner February, 2008P.S. The GWS isn’t really dead, I saw him out in Los Angeles at the Universal Studios park

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
A very solid sequel
By J. Victor
I was only 4 when the original groundbreaking film Jaws was first released in 1975. In 1978, I was old enough to see Jaws 2. A film, that while it pales in comparison to Spielberg’s classic, it’s still an exciting and enjoyable action thriller.

The story takes place several years later and focuses on Martin Brody’s (Roy Scheider) two sons and their group of teenaged friends. The summer resort island of Amity is once again facing a threat from a great white shark. After several mysterious deaths Brody is convinced that a another shark is lurking in the waters. The Mayor and town council think otherwise. Brody’s two sons and a large group of their friends take off in their sailboats and big trouble ensues. Acting alone, it’s up to Brody to come to the rescue.

While lacking the intial shock and surprise Jaws generated, this sequel manages to capture a couple of nice surprises. The film’s big climax is geniunely exciting. Roy Scheider delivers a first rate performance. The young cast does fine as the periled day sailors. John William’s score is simply terrific and in some ways better than than his music for the original. Director Jennot Szwarc does a nice job in his direction and generates enough tension and suspense to make this a worthwhile sequel. The two following sequels are best to be forgotton.

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Jaws 2 (1978) – IMDb
The small island resort town of Amity is trying to bounce back from the financial troubles that suffered after becoming known as the site of shark attacks four years …

Jaws 2 – Rotten Tomatoes – Movies | Movie Trailers | Reviews …
Despite being a less well-regarded virtual remake of the original film, Jaws 2 earned a tidy sum at the box office by combining its predecessor’s winning formula with …

Amazon.com: Jaws 2: Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton …
Ushering in the age of the inferior sequel, Jaws 2 was essentially a license to print money. Indeed, the film did very well despite blatantly replicating the plot of …

Jaws 2 (1978)
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.

Jaws 2 trailer 1978 – YouTube
Director: Jeannot Szwarc The small island resort town of Amity(Massachusetts) is trying to bounce back from the financial problems it had after becoming …

Jaws 2 | Trailer and Cast – Yahoo! Movies
The small resort town of Amity is poised for an economic comeback after becoming known as the location of vicious shark attacks. But at the same time that the Mayor …

Jaws 2 Review – Jabootu’s Bad Movie Dimension
Jaws 2 – Jabootu’s Bad Movie Dimension (1978) [Internet Movie Database entry for this film]

Jaws 2 – Yahoo! Voices – voices.yahoo.com
“Jaws 2″ is understandably no masterpiece, but it is “Citizen Kane” when you compare to the other two sequels that came after this one.

Jaws 2 (1978) – Box Office Mojo
Jaws 2 summary of box office results, charts and release information and related links.