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Jaws 2 Reviews

The thrills are still there, but the intelligence and humor and theatrical flair that made jaws so much fun are gone.

Full Review | Aug 14, 2024

In Jaws 2 the shark sits up and begs to have its unreality noticed. With its lifeless eyes and autopilot movements, it looks as if it would be more at home patrolling your bath-tub.

While it's not worth standing too long in line for, it's [a] pleasant little thriller.

Full Review | Aug 7, 2024

An aquatic slasher film that takes the time to explore Sheriff Brody's PTSD from the first film, Jaws 2 had no need being this good. While most of the teens are indistinguishable, Marge's death is horrifying and their fear is real and palpable.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 16, 2023

Jaws 2 (1978) is a superb slasher movie...

Full Review | Sep 10, 2021

A fairly decent sequel...

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 27, 2021

By telling the same story again (and with a weighty two-hour running time), it merely reinforces the notion that Spielberg's vision was comprehensive and complete.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Aug 30, 2020

Jaws 2 manages to entertain and scare. At the end of the day, isn't that what it's all about? [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Aug 1, 2019

Doesn't have Spielberg's storytelling elegance or sense of pacing, but by pretty much any measure Jaws 2 is a solid adventure yarn

Full Review | Jun 3, 2019

Far from a classic, but a very worthy follow-up.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Sep 28, 2018

There was reason to believe that "Jaws 2" would be a mess. It isn't. It's better than most sequels. It's formula-ridden but slick, and the special effects work as intended.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 28, 2018

I am also a fan of slasher movies, so I like that the film almost seems like a Jaws-ified response to the slasher boom, as the film's second half revolves around a group of trapped teens being menaced by the shark.

Full Review | Sep 28, 2018

Stalwart Scheider is in full control of this blasé follow-up that makes one wonder why mayor Murray Hamilton hasn't learnt any lessons from previous events.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 28, 2018

While it lacks the originality, wit and character interplay that gave "Jaws" an exceptionally appealing impact, "Jaws 2" is proficient enough to avoid bombing out.

Full Review | Oct 17, 2017

It never comes close to the classic status of its predecessor, but for drive-in horror thrills, this still has sufficient bite.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 4, 2017

Unnecessary sequel has less plot, more peril and violence.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 27, 2016

The surprise in Jaws 2 is that, given the givens, it came out as well as it did. For me, in terms of sheer visceral zapping, it's better than the first time around (or under).

Full Review | Jun 16, 2016

Nowhere near as good as the first, and lacks the traces of true stupidity that make the latter two fun bad movies.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Jan 11, 2012

Despite a notable but effective change in story emphasis, Jaws 2 is a worthy successor in horror, suspense and terror to its 1975 smash progenitor.

Full Review | Jul 6, 2010

Rather redundant, rather biting. What, fish again?! Still, not a bad sequel.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 23, 2007

The Jaws Movies, Ranked

Jaws broke new ground when it was released in 1975. It had special effects the world had never seen before, and the score made viewers feel instantly anxious and alert. The relatable characters also made Jaws a resounding success. Without a doubt, it remains one of the most celebrated and well-respected horror movies ever released. For those unfamiliar, the movie is about a beach town called Amity Island that is terrorized by a brutal great white shark. A hunter named Sam Quint (Robert Shaw) offers to catch the brute for $100,000. An oceanographer named Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Amity Island's chief, Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), round out the crew looking for the shark.

When Jaws came out in 1975, audiences were blown away by the practical effects used to create the shark. Millions of people were haunted by the signature score created by John Williams, to the point where taking a bath didn't even seem safe. Jaws elevated the horror genre and remains one of the scariest films of all time. With a director like Steven Spielberg at the helm, it's not surprising that the movie achieved such greatness. Jaws will always be "the" shark movie, but there are other films in the franchise still worth watching. Some are so bad that they're actually kind of good, while others have a captivating plot and almost as many water-based scares as the original. The first Jaws will always reign supreme, but it's interesting to see how the other three films stack up.

4 The Shark Has a Vendetta in Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Director: joseph sargent.

• Metascore: 15
• IMDb: 3.0/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 2%

10 Most Unwanted Sequels To Great Films

Many incredible films have left audiences stunned, yet the sequels that came after them were not only bad movies, they were unwanted.

By the fourth film in a franchise, viewers shouldn't expect anything groundbreaking or overly innovative. Jaws: The Revenge definitely doesn't elevate the horror genre, nor does it offer much to the legacy of the Jaws franchise. Despite all its flaws, Jaws: The Revenge does offer some so-bad-it's-good entertainment in its faster-paced moments. In the movie , the shark has an agenda. It hunts down Chief Brody's widow, Ellen (Lorraine Gary), as well as his surviving family, many of whom still live on Amity Island. Even traveling to the Bahamas doesn't stop the shark from hunting down the Brody family. No one is safe, not even the children nor the grandchildren they have in tow.

Jaws: The Revenge has an absurd concept and shoddy camera work. It's also tough to look past the fact that Chief Brody was unceremoniously killed off by a heart attack. However, as long as viewers aren't comparing Revenge to the quality of the original (and even the sequel), then they can appreciate the campy fun that the film has to offer. The opening and ending are genuinely thrilling, and there's an exciting scene where Michael Brody (Lance Guest) is frantically swimming away from a fast-approaching shark in his scuba gear. Jaws: The Revenge is also technically a Christmas horror movie since there are scenes of characters singing carols and viewers catch glimpses of decorative trees in the background. If audiences are willing to suspend high expectations, Jaws: The Revenge could be an enjoyable movie to watch with friends.

3 SeaWorld Is No Longer Safe in Jaws 3-D (1983)

Director: joe alves.

• Metascore: 27
• IMDb: 3.7/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 11%

As seen with Friday the 13th, Saw and Final Destination , the 3-D entries of horror franchises tend to get lackluster reviews. Jaws 3-D is no different. The movie follows Mike Brody (Dennis Quaid), son of Chief Brody from Jaws and Jaws 2, as he works as a chief engineer at SeaWorld Orlando. The film was actually filmed on location at the theme park, lending authenticity to the setting. There are real glimpses of sea life in the underground tunnels as well. It's too bad the shark wasn't more predominantly featured, because that change could have made Jaws 3-D a more respectable addition to the Jaws franchise. It has many of the elements that make the original so entertaining, but it just doesn't make as much of an impact.

The 3-D gimmick in Jaws 3-D is used sparingly in the movie to the point where it's almost non-existent. When it is used, it's distracting and definitely doesn't hold up for modern audiences. Plus, the shark doesn't show up until about 37 minutes into the movie, so audiences really have to test their patience when watching. Putting those faults aside, there's an adventurous quality to Jaws 3-D that makes it feel like some of the best 80s blockbusters . The submarine scene, in particular, was one of the strongest parts of the film and could almost be a ride at a theme park like Universal Studios. Moments like this make Jaws 3-D fun to watch for anyone who enjoys big-budget blockbusters. Overall, the film isn't as rewatchable as Jaws or Jaws 2, but it still has enjoyable elements.

2 Amity Island is Attacked Again in Jaws 2 (1978)

Director: jeannot szwarc.

• Metascore: 51
• IMDb: 5.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 62%

Jaws 2 Isn't Mere Sequel Bait - It's an Underappreciated Classic

Jaws is an undefeated classic that's hard to follow, but Jaws 2 isn't afraid to step up and carve its own path as a classic.

Picking up from where Jaws left off, the sequel is a surprisingly worthy shark attack movie . Jaws 2 continues the story of Chief Brody as he deals with the aftermath of the events of the first film. Amity Island as a whole is trying to recover from the horrific shark attacks four years prior. To increase tourism, city officials are opening a new resort right at the scenic location in an attempt to bounce back from the bloodshed and terror that the great white caused. Chief Brody tries to convince everyone (including his son) that sharks are once again lurking in the waters. Sharks are bad for business, so Brody's warnings go unheeded, and of course, chaos ensues when plans for the resort continue.

Jaws 2 had a reported budget of $30 million, which is three times higher than that of the original. Everything in the sequel is bigger and bolder, with impressive sets on Amity Island, more glimpses of the shark attacking, and even epic explosions. The story isn't laughable either. Characters in the film question Chief Brody's sanity, and since Brody isn't celebrated as a hero, it's even more gripping for the audience to behold his and his son's fate. Fans of the Jaws franchise will appreciate that this film isn't a regurgitation of the original. It treads new ground while staying faithful to what made the first film so compelling and terrifying. Some viewers even argue that Jaws 2 is more exciting and rewatchable than Jaws, and put it on their list of all-time favorites. It's easy to see why, considering the fast-paced plot, top-notch performances by the actors, and compelling storyline.

1 The Ocean Has Never Been Scarier Than in Jaws (1975)

Director: steven spielberg.

• Metascore: 87
• IMDb: 8.1/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Amity Island was a pleasant beachside town until the day when a vicious shark attacked. That's the premise of Jaws, the most influential shark movie ever made. The movie follows the police chief as he works with a shark hunter and oceanographer to stop the shark before it ruins tourism and stops people from enjoying the water. The men head out onto the open sea for the dangerous mission of capturing the great white shark, putting their own lives at risk. Jaws is a thrilling movie that, even in its slow moments, keeps the audience's attention from start to finish. The film still holds up to this day and reigns supreme as the best in the franchise.

With a chilling score and a slow build of tension, the idea of the shark in Jaws is often more scary than the shark itself. In fact, the shark (affectionately named Bruce as a nod to Steven Spielberg's lawyer) only gets four minutes of screen time in the whole film. Scenes always hint at what's lurking in the water, so every moment on the beach feels fraught with tension. It all stems from the horrifying opening scene where an underwater shot shows a young woman's kicking legs. She gets pulled under the water by an unseen force, and to this day, her screams and splashes in the water echo in audiences' heads. It's one of the scariest opening scenes in a movie and sets the precedent for all the terrifying moments that are to come in Jaws. The rest of the movie maintains that momentum, so even the quieter moments pulsate with tension. Any movie lover who hasn't seen Jaws needs to immediately add it to their watch list.

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When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.

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Jaws 2 is a 1978 American horror, drama, thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws , and the second installment in the Jaws franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider as Police Chief Martin Brody, with Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton reprising their respective roles as Martin's wife Ellen Brody and Mayor Larry Vaughn. It also stars Joseph Mascolo, Jeffrey Kramer, Collin Wilcox, Ann Dusenberry, Mark Gruner, Susan French, Barry Coe, Donna Wilkes and Gary Springer. In this movie, Michael Brody, his brother Sean, and his friends go on a sailing hangout until they were terrorized by another Great White Shark, and Micheal's friends must protect themselves from getting killed before Brody arrives.

While Jaws 2 received mixed reviews from critics and proved to be a box office success. Fans of the first film widely deem that this movie as the best of the three Jaws sequels, especially, the memorable tagline " Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... " has become one of the most famous taglines in film history and has been parodied and has had homages several times. A sequel mh:awfulmovies:Jaws 3-D was released in 1983.

• 2 Good Qualities
• 3 Bad Qualities
• 4.1 Critical response
• 4.2 Box office
• 7 External Links

The movie begins four years after Chief Brody killed the Great White Shark , the two scuba divers went to the deep ocean and they discover the wreckage of the Orca from the first movie, suddenly a great white shark appears and the two divers are both killed leaving their camera feel into the ocean floor, and the camera's whereabouts remain unknown. On Amity Island, Brody goes to the grand opening at the brand new Holiday Inn hotel with over $15,000 dollars during the opening. That night, a shark swims through the shore of Amity Island. The next day, a group of sailors are having a great time, until the incident happens where a skier named Terry is caught by a shark, killing her, and the boater attempts to burn the shark, the creature using a gas tank and flare gun, but the boat explodes, killing her and severely burning the right side of the shark's face. Shortly afterward Brody, his family, and their officers had no idea what causes the explosion. And they investigate the site where the boat exploded earlier.

The next day, the locals find a dead Orca whale lying on the shore, and they report it to the Police Department. Brody starts to realize that there is another shark. At the Town Hall, Brody confirms that there is another shark, but the Mayor doesn't believe what he is saying. In response to the Mayor's disbelief, Brody leaves the Town Hall in a fuss. At the beach, he investigates a piece of the destroyed boat that contains a dead driver from a fatal boat explosion caused by a shark, a day earlier. That night, Brody puts poison in their bullets so he could possibly kill the shark, but the next day he shoots the ocean, which turns out to be just a school of bluefish, the visitors are mad at Chief Brody for sounding a false alarm. That night, Brody looks over the shopper's pics that the camera was found, and he goes to the Town Hall, but many of the officials and locals still don't believe that there is a shark.

Early the next day, Michael Brody disobeys his job and father's orders, and he takes Sean Brody to sneak out from their home silently so they can go sailing with their friends, along with Marge, and they headed out to six boats into the middle of the ocean passing through a boat with scuba divers, where they go through underwater, but was caught by a shark, nearly killing the scuba diver as they went up to the same boat and they recover and injury man, who witness a shark. Meanwhile, a group of friends were enjoying themselves in the middle of the ocean, not knowing that the shark is heading toward the six boats. Chief Brody eventually wakes up and he mistakenly thought that Michael Brody took his orders, and we cut back to Eddie and, where he encounters a shark, and he tries to get back into the boat, but he was dragged down into the sea, killing him instantly.

Chief Brody witnesses an ambiance with an injured scuba diver, and reports that his two sons were on their boats, along with his friends, Brody realized this, and they quickly moved out to find his sons, along the way, they came across a boat with Tina, looking very scared and she tells them that there's a shark in the ocean. Meanwhile, Mike's friends were still having a fun time, until a shark starts to attack the whole group of friends, capsizing most of the boats, and the shark nearly eats Mike alive. The Coast Guard marine helicopter that Brody contacted arrives to tow them to shore, unfortunately, the shark comes back again and the shark kills the pilot alive, and the shark spins around the boats, and Sean falls to another boat, along with Marge, and they attempted to get back onto another capsizing boat, but the shark suddenly appears one last time and eats Marge alive while she saves Sean from getting killed.

Meanwhile, on Amity Island, they already took Tina from the sea, and Chief Brody is still at the ocean sea as the storm approaches, Michael friends were still lost, as they hang Sean's capsized boat to safety. They witness a rocky island as Brody arrives, and they found Michael at their boat, meanwhile, Mike's friends attempt to move, they witness wires in the sea, as they founded Chief Brody, who is searching for Mike's friends throws the rope to the boats until a shark suddenly comes back. and destroys the rope, and they throw the rope again, but they caught a wire and the shark suddenly comes back and a group of friends managed to get to the island as Chief Brody has an idea to distract the shark by banging on the electrical wires. He succeeds at distracting the shark. As a result of the banging, the shark comes back and Chief Brody and the shark have a final confrontation when Brody makes the shark bite the wires causing it to get electrocuted and burned to a crisp. After being burned to a crisp, the shark dies and sinks into the water. After Chief Brody finally kills the shark, he and the other people celebrate the killing of the shark and they swim back to the shark as the credits roll through the ocean, and the sunset.

Good Qualities [ ]

• While the sequel is not as good as the first film, it still has suspenseful scenes that are still faithful to the first film, though less than the original film. What's more, it still brings back a majority of things from the original film, like the returning characters (except for Hooper).
• Most of the characters from the first movie return, while the newer character gave some decent performances.
• The quotes are still memorable such as "Alright, you big bastard, I've got something for ya' now! Come on, open wide! SAY "AHH"!"
• The shark in the second film is pretty decent, as it almost doesn't have any effects around the shark.
• Lorraine Gary also still did a good job portraying as Ellen Brody.
• Murray Hamilton is still great as Mayor Larry Vaughn.
• This is one of few good films of director Jeannot Szwarc.
• The new characters in this film, while some can be very annoying, the teenage characters are somewhat fun and interesting.
• There are some good suspenseful action sequences during the climax, especially the final electric wire feed to the shark, which was pretty awesome.
• Amazing cinematography.
• John Williams still delivers an excellent score, just like he did in the first movie, and Star Wars , as he still retained the Jaws theme from the first movie.
• There are tons of good references that it managed to connect to the first film, such as a scene where you can see a wrecked Orca boat from the first film after Brody stopped the Shark during the final battle in the first movie.
• The main poster shows a shark opens her wide mouth as the shark jumps toward a surfing female looks very creepy, and it was well designed by Lou Feck.
• At least the storyline can be a lot of sense, and the sequel did at least try to have something new, there are some new things that are not in the original film, unlike the last two Jaws movies.

Bad Qualities [ ]

• You still don't get to see the shark that often, due to the mechanical shark still not working like during the first film.
• The story itself is can be pretty similar to the original.
• The pacing can be a bit sluggish at times.
• Some of the new characters weren't their best, and not as memorable from the first film.
• There's an infamous scene where the shark's mouth has a machine inside.
• There were several scenes where female characters scream in bloody murder, and it gets really annoying.

Reception [ ]

Critical response [ ].

Jaws 2 received mixed reviews from critics, and fans of the original, but has been declared a "decent sequel" and has been called the best of the Jaws sequels, while Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge were critically panned. Jaws 2 holds a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews. The critic consensus states, "Jaws 2 never approaches the lingering thrills of its classic predecessor, but it's reasonably entertaining for a sequel that has no reason to exist." DVD Authority says "After this one, the other Jaws movies seemed to just not be as good." while Metacritic gave a film a 51/100 rating, while the film holds a 5.9 out of 10 on IMDB . As of today, the sequel is deemed far more superior and way better than Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge .

Box office [ ]

Jaws 2 was a very expensive film that Universal Pictures made until the point that it cost the studio over $30 million to make. The film opened to a gross of $9,866,023 in over 640 theaters across the United States and Canada. It went on to earn $77,737,272 during its release, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1978. It surpassed the $100 million with reissues, ultimately earning $102,922,376 domestically and $208,900,376 worldwide. Despite grossing less than half of its predecessor, it became the highest-grossing sequel in history up to that point. It opened the same day as Grease, which grossed $9 million on the opening weekend. which was greater than any film released prior to that weekend.[49] It was the first time that there had been two day-and-date releases grossing such high amounts. The opening weekend led it to set a record weekly total of $16,654,000. It went on to earn $77,737,272 during its initial release, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1978.

• Roy Scheider didn't want to star in the film, but was contractually obligated to do so.

External Links [ ]

• Template:IMDb
• Template:Rotten Tomatoes
• Template:Metacritic

Comments [ ]

Why 'Jaws 2' Was the Only Good Sequel of the Franchise

Just in Time for Its 50th Anniversary, Steven Spielberg’s 97% Legendary Classic Is Abandoning Its Streaming Ship

This netflix thriller is a sinister cat-and-mouse game you can't look away from, 'black christmas' is so much more than a holiday christmas horror movie.

Jaws was a phenomenon the likes of which have never been replicated. The large scale project had gone millions of dollars over budget and months over schedule, and the fate of it rested on the shoulders of a novice 27-year-old director; yet it went on to define the summer blockbuster, garner copious award nominations, and establish Steven Spielberg as a powerhouse filmmaker. Within days of the movie’s release, Universal greenlit a sequel, eager to secure another big hit. What followed was a year-and-a-half of troubled pre-production, a grueling shoot on the open ocean, fractured relationships and a lukewarm critical reception. But while none of the sequels that eventually materialized could hope to measure up to their big brother, Jaws 2 proved itself a formidable and justifiably memorable follow-up.

It is four years after the shark attacks on Amity Island, and Martin Brody’s glory days as the town hero have dwindled. The movie opens with two divers exploring the wreckage of the Orca, who are suddenly attacked by a toothy menace. When their camera is recovered and Brody ( Roy Scheider ) gets the developed photos, he sees a sight that is all too familiar, and rushes to confront the local council with this development. Mayor Larry Vaughn (played again by Murray Hamilton ) seems to have learned nothing from the previous debacle or lost his title over his handling of it, and once again gangs up on Brody, insisting there is no problem. Brody’s son Mike is now a high schooler, and enjoys a cruise culture in sailboats that inland teenagers do in cars. Brother Sean coaxes him into taking him on a sailing trip, and the gang of youngsters set out, unaware of the danger. When further shark casualties start piling up and Brody hears of the trip, he takes a boat out to save the kids and the island once again.

In a year that film looked to appeal to a younger crowd, the narrative of Jaws 2 focuses much more on an ensemble teenage cast than any adult characters besides Brody. With a dozen or so young characters, it gets perhaps a little overcrowded, allowing some of them little development, but it certainly ups the ante when Brody races to save them, and adds to the frantic energy of each attack scene. Of course, this is quite the downgrade from the darkly intriguing musings of Quint ( Robert Shaw ) and his passive-aggressive class war with Hooper ( Richard Dreyfuss ), but Universal had already passed on the prospect of a darker narrative focused on the town’s decline and corruption, instead looking to appease the crowds with a lighter spirit.

Jaws 2 knocked it out of the park at the box office. It became the third highest-grossing film of 1978, behind Grease and Animal House , and enjoyed the status of the highest-grossing opening weekend and highest-grossing sequel of all time for many years. Roger Ebert described 1978 as “a year when people went to the movies to escape, to be entertained, and not necessarily to think or be challenged,” and it is true that Jaws 2 lacks the heavy tone or thought-provoking characterization of its predecessor. Now that big fun summer movies were an annual event, the public was expecting easy, carefree entertainment, and Jaws 2 seemed to be exactly to their taste.

Jaws itself can be difficult to define: it is dramatic, but too exciting to be a drama; it is at times funny without being written as a comedy; it is too serious and not scary enough to be horror. If anything, it is a character-driven adventure story with elements of thriller, tragedy and some light banter. It is a rich patchwork of many storytelling elements, intricately woven to reflect real life: a bit of everything. Jaws 2 , on the other hand, teeters on the edge of being a teen slasher, the likes of which were becoming insanely popular at the time. It is all about the shark attacks, and the more of them, the better. Once the shark has the gang of boating teens in its sights, the action cuts back and forth between the kids being stalked and/or eaten, to Brody pursuing them, or his wife Ellen ( Lorraine Gary ) and Deputy Hendricks ( Jeffrey Kramer ) trying to assist, all but abandoning any focus on character.

Although many seemingly forget the very clear shot of the boat guy getting pulled under by the shark in Jaws , the lack of visible fish in the first half is still a frequent talking point. Continuous malfunctioning forced Spielberg to improvise, and cut a lot of the shark’s screen time, so to speak, a move that ended up working in his favor and earning him praise for his accidentally Hitchcockean approach to suspense. Any such notion goes out the window for Jaws 2 ; after all, this was more of a teenage movie, and the studio had no doubts over what the appeal of their franchise was. The shark here gets much more screen time, and as a result, the crew were tasked with pulling off some very delicate balancing acts on the open ocean, the success of which hung on the mercy of the wind, tides and weather. This leads to some less than perfect shark shots ending up in the final cut, the most amusing being visible hydraulics in the creature’s throat, and the shark seemingly forgetting to open his mouth as he rams a boat.

While the fully practical effects of the first two movies can feel dated to some, there is no question that they hold up much better when compared to alternatives, and when the logistics are considered, they become an even bolder venture. Jaws 3 dared to move into the computer generated world to create its sharks, as well as poorly-matched stock footage and horribly immobile models, and while Jaws: The Revenge stuck mostly to animatronics, the quality was not good. A close second to the first movie, Jaws 2 musters some good shark effects with some creative new additions, such as POV shots that involve a cameraman riding the shark’s back. .

After a tumultuous time in pre-production, John D. Hancock left the director’s chair empty for Jaws 2 , eventually being replaced by Jeannot Szwarc . Faced with a difficult and prolonged shoot, and a leading man who resented being there, Szwarc valiantly pulled a troubled production together and got the most out of challenging conditions. His direction lacks the subtlety and emotional drive of Spielberg’s, and the setup doesn’t allow for much thematic gravity, but Szwarc clearly understood the spirit of the first movie, and worked hard to make this sequel feel like an organic development of it.

RELATED: Every Steven Spielberg Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

With Spielberg refusing to return to direct, having achieved all he wanted to with the story, a key challenge for Szwarc was creating a sequel that stylistically felt like a natural extension of his film. John Williams ’ score is one of the defining features in this regard, bringing his signature whimsy and dramatic charm to the picture. His work on the original notably played with not only the infamous shark motif, but with jaunty, upbeat melodies for the men’s adventures on the high seas; for Jaws 2 he applies that same chipper energy to the pieces written for the young characters, while heavy orchestral numbers ramp up the tension of the attack sequences. So integral was Williams’ score to the tonal success of Jaws that the sequel could never have hoped to work so well without his involvement.

Roy Scheider’s first go-round on the shores of Martha's Vineyard was physically and mentally difficult, as it was for everybody involved in the shoot, but having recently dropped out of The Deer Hunter , Scheider was being taken to task by Universal, and was contractually obligated to reprise the role of Brody. His tense working relationship with director Jeannot Szwarc led to a forced intervention that ended in a punch-up, and Scheider was generally miserable throughout the shoot. To his credit though, he did not let this bitterness interfere with his performance.

For all the jibes it gets about screaming kids, Jaws 2 is very well acted. A drawback of many scary films — including the later Jaws sequels — is that characters don’t seem to be very afraid when they are in terrifying situations. However, a number of the young actors here, particularly Donna Wilkes as Jackie and Ann Dusenberry as Tina, give it their all, and convey absolute hysteria very effectively. Roy Scheider channels his ill feelings over the job into Brody, who by this point in life is at his breaking point, stressed, scared and knowing that he is the only one who will bring this second wave of attacks to an end. He may have resented his involvement, but Scheider delivers a fine performance, and is once again compelling as a leading man with fears and inefficiencies.

In an intriguing parallel of Scheider’s experience on set, Brody’s development as the reluctant hero is what elevates the movie and gives it its emotional center. In the first film, he is the relatable everyman thrust into a situation he is totally unprepared for, and emerges victorious, but this time around, he lacks the professional and moral support of Quint and Hooper. Despite his previous heroism, the dynamic of Amity has clearly shifted, and Vaughn doesn’t even think enough of Brody to give him the benefit of the doubt. His professional life is strained by the disinterest of his community, whose lack of faith pushes him to more extreme measures: he scares a beach full of tourists by firing his gun into the ocean at what turns out to be a harmless school of fish; he wades out into the water only to be jump scared by a burned corpse; eventually, he commandeers Hendricks’ police boat alone to save the kids. His children have grown and now sneak around and defy him, and his wife Ellen is keeping busy working for Len Peterson, a property developer who eventually orders Brody’s dismissal. A shot of his Amity Man of the Year award sitting in the shadows is particularly telling of Brody’s inner struggles.

The wider aftermath of the 1975 attacks is touched on, although not to the extent that Peter Benchley ’s novel or earlier script drafts did, and given the abrupt ending of Jaws , it helps to fill in the gaps. There is a big push to remarket Amity as the ideal family summer destination, with Peterson launching a new resort on the island; this of course sways the reactions of the town officials. After such a PR nightmare and several years of trying to cover the tracks, Vaughn and his colleagues are not about to jeopardize their rebrand by listening to the ramblings of an over-the-hill police chief. Considering the political undertones of the town dynamic, the question of what happens next for Brody is raised: there is still a new resort to peddle, so will his latest heroic efforts redeem him in the eyes of Amity, or will this prove to be the nail in the coffin for his career and his life as an islander? Will this improve his self-esteem or strengthen his relationship with his sons?

While critics were not exactly blown away by the long-awaited Jaws sequel, it delivered everything that audiences wanted. It developed the story of the Brody family and of Amity Island, and it offered lots of fun scares and sharky goodness. A strong cast, determined director and superb composer made it better than it really had any right to be. Of course, the very existence of the hilarious Jaws 3 and the truly depressing Jaws: The Revenge are owed to this surprisingly successful second chapter, but if nothing else, it stands out as one of the most entertaining and financially successful sequels in Hollywood history, and the only other Jaws movie that wasn’t total trash.

• Movie Features

Fans vote JAWS 2 best JAWS movie?

As with most movie franchises, fans and critics usually agree that the first movie in a series is the best. There are exceptions to the rule - see Stars Wars and The Godfather. However, Steven Spielberg’s shark thriller classic JAWS (1975) has been the gold standard in this lore…. that is until now.

Seeing how all four JAWS movies rank and rate according to Rotten Tomoates (image below), JAWS (1975) is snout and tails ahead of it’s sequels. JAWS 2 scores a respectable 61% fresh with both Jaws 3-D and Jaws The Revenge failing to score above 11%, indicating a perceived huge drop in quality as the franchise went on.

Earlier this month, we ran a Twitter poll asking you to name the worst JAWS movie . With nearly two thousand votes in 24 hours (3 weeks in JAWS time), the end result was both totally expected and very suprising. See results below.

As the results show, unsurprisingly Jaws The Revenge was named worst JAWS movie with 57.1% of the vote; Jaws 3-D came in second worstJ. However, the real shock was JAWS 2 scoring lowest percentage - just 1.1%vof the vote. So does this mean that by being voted least worst, JAWS 2 is actually the best Jaws movie????

Many followers like Margaret (above) showed their dismay for those who voted for JAWS as the worst in the series. Wanting to ‘have a chat’ with the 5% was one of the more gentle suggestions in how to deal with this particular shark problem.

Polled the wrong one?

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

Jaws 2 is certainly a solid first sequel. Seriously, how do you follow the greatest movie ever made? But can it genuinely be considered to be better than the original? Essentially a teen slasher movie set on water, Jaws 2 definitely delivers on it’s promise of more shark but this sadly means less suspense and even less Brody (and zero Hooper).

We think there may be another, simpler explanation. Comments in the poll appear to reveal that some voters ‘polled the wrong one’ and hot JAWS by mistake. So this is what happens. It indicates the non-frenzied polling of a large following - possibly fingerslippus or a hastyclickus.

However, like Mayor Vaughn’s hush fund, there are quite a few votes unaccounted for so the real truth may never be known for sure - and we all wanna be sure, ok? Sadly, we cannot perform a late night autopsy on a poll and besides, no-one wants to risk seeing the news that Jaws 2 is the best Jaws movie spill out all over the internet. Do they?

Words by Ross Williams

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