Jaws 2

No, this wasn't as good as the original, but it wasn't bad, either. In fairness, the audiences knew what to expect in this one and had already been shocked by the killer Great White Shark. Thus, it was no way audiences were going to react to the sequel as they did the first Jaws movie.

It didn't have Steven Spielberg directing, but it did have the same locale with same principal characters on "Amity:" mainly Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), his wife Ellen (Lorraine Gary) and Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) so one didn't feel as if this was a completely new film. There was continuity to it, and we have the same problem (a big shark eating people). The main difference is that it is just a few years after the first horrifying incidents.

This story mainly involves Chief Brody's teenage kids and their friends. Overall, the film moves a little slowly the first hour, but picks up dramatically in the second half. In fact, it turns out quite intense, just like the first film. The main mistake the filmmakers made - which they wouldn't do today, was that it was too slow for too long. That, and the fact that the area residents apparently had a short memory; unrealistically short.

Anyway, the shark looks more realistic.....and if you can hang in there, you'll be rewarded with some good escapist entertainment in the second hour.

A lot of people come under the misconception that only Jaws is good while all the sequels are bad but that's not entirely true. Of course Jaws 3D and Jaws the Revenge are the ones you should definitely avoid at all costs but Jaws 2 is the one that gets under-looked and unfairly rated because of the bad rep the later sequels did. I assure you all, Jaws 2 is nothing like those said bad sequels films, in fact this film is actually as enjoyable as it's preceding film.

Like a proper sequel should do it directly continues from where the first film left off with most of the same characters returning including main protagonist Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), he is just an excellent main character, it wouldn't be a Jaws film without him who has the unfortunate task of dealing with another man eating shark that is terrorising the sea of this island resort town of Amity. Although the film starts off slow but as more of the film gets going the better it becomes. I loved the moments when the shark kills the victims like a horror villain should.

Now of course Jaws 2 may not match up to the original film but at least the people who made this film actually tried to make a good film with a decent story. I enjoyed it and I highly recommend it, it's one of the many underrated sequels that should be given a chance.

If I were to make an appropriate comparison, Jaws 1 was a White shark bite, ferocious and huge, Jaws II would be a bite from a Blue Shark, still nasty, but lacking the ferocity.

The film reminds me of the Halloween follow up in so many ways, the first being a moment of cinema where the game was changed, a massive act to follow, both feel like a direct continuation of the first, both have quality, but lack the originality and impact of their predecessor.

Jaws II is slow to start, but as it gets going it really cranks up the tension, featuring some really good, tense moments. The shark has become a psycho killer instead of just a predator, and is now intent on killing its victims in the way Michael Myers did.

Some good strong special effects, I thought in several scenes the shark looked very realistic, I've never been a fan of the ending though, it's just a bit silly. Roy Schneider clearly did not want to do this film, and I think it shows in his performance, he is not happy.

It's a pretty good sequel, trouble is the original is a classic.

Jaws 2 (1978) is currently available on Tubi. The storyline follows the same Massachusetts small town in the first Jaws and the PTSD that went with the original experience. The sheriff's children are older and now can boat on the ocean on their own...which only complicates matters when it appears another series of shark attacks have begun. This movie is directed by Jeannot Szwarc (Ironsides) and stars Roy Scheider (French Connection), Lorraine Gary (1941), Murray Hamilton (The Graduate) and Joseph Mascolo (Heat). The storyline tries to pick up nicely from where the last one left off but had too many recycled elements - like no one believing the sheriff despite the previous film, the mayor and sheriff not getting along, etc. I will give this film credit for doing a good job with more great underwater shots. They do a good job of presenting the family dynamic as well. There's also some fantastic horror elements in this including the helicopter scene and boat crash. Overall this is an uneven movie with some great elements that is a fun watch. I'd score this a 6.5/10.

While Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" a dark, scary, and gripping thriller, "Jaws 2" is a scary movie for kids who don't really want to be scared. The imagination and unique style that Spielberg put into the original is sorely lacking here; this is merely a teenagers-in-jeopardy thriller as hordes of sailboating teens are terrorized by the giant killer shark. Spielberg did not expose us to the actual shark until much later in the film, which added to the heightened tension. We see the shark up close right away in this film, and it's no sense of terror. The shark chomps on water skiers, attacks boats, drags a helicopter out of the air and into the ocean, snacks on scuba divers, and the day is once again saved by Chief Brody (Roy Scheider.) With all this chomping and chewing going on, "Jaws 2" is oddly ineffective and unscary. While alot of kids were genuinely frightened and scared by the original "Jaws," this sequel is more like a carnival ride that provides a few thrills but is forgotten after it is over. The music by John Williams is absolutely fabulous and the atmosphere is sunnier this time around, but "Jaws 2" fails to satisfy. It's just alot of kids screaming and falling in the water. While the original is a horror masterpiece, this is an O.K. film for squeamish little children.