Jaws 2 – Here We Go Again!
Martin Brody should never have moved to Amity! He just can’t get away from those sharks. I’m sure he never thought he would have to deal with a murderous shark in his life…let alone two! And yet we find him ready to do battle again! In honor of the forty-fifth anniversary of Jaws 2, I couldn’t let Shark Week pass without talking about it.
I know fans are split on whether or not they like it. And I never thought that Jaws needed a squeal. But as with most hit movies – Hollywood always tries to capitalize on the original’s success. And then there’s the big debate over whether or not Jaws was a horror movie (of course it was!). So here we are, back in Amity. I have to admit though, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.
The movie takes place four years after the original. Although I missed Quint (who ended up as fish food in Jaws), and my personal favorite, Hooper (on a research vessel studying sharks) the movie was not bad, as sequels go. I can’t help but be impressed that the movie isn’t a carbon copy of the original. Jaws 2 mainly focuses on Brody’s kids and their friends. There’s only so much you can do with a shark movie.
Shark victims are piling up in Amity again. Brody is convinced there’s another killer shark on the loose. As usual, nobody believes him. He loses his job after thinking he spotted a shark, causing a panic on the beach. Martin’s son Michael, who is grounded, decides to sneak out and go sailing with his friends and takes his younger brother Sean (who threatens to tell if he can’t go).
While the kids are out sailing they meet up with the shark. No the shark from Jaws, obviously, but it’s out for the same thing – blood. It’s another case of a shark that’s lost its way. It’s pissed off and hungry, and the kids are looking like a tasty snack. Now they have to fight to survive and hope someone comes to help. Meanwhile, Martin discovers his sons and their boat missing. He’s unable to get any help, so he sets out alone to find them.
Most of the central cast members returned for Jaws 2, giving it a good sense of continuity. Stephen Speilberg didn’t want to direct the sequel, so it was directed by Jennot Szwarc. Szwarc did a good job with what he had. There are some very well-done POV shots, But you can’t help but wonder what Speilberg could have done with it.
Special effects artist Robert A. Mattey used the same shark mold as the first movie, and three new heads were made. The special effects team created a new mouth mechanism to make it look more realistic. Although we didn’t see much of the shark at the beginning of the original, Swarc and Mattley were happy to give us a full view.
The movie starts off very slow, but the second half has a decent amount of action. It was nice to have Chief Brody back (Even though Scheider was on the fence about doing it). Although the focus is on the teens this time, the rest is pretty much the same. Though in all honesty, what else is there to do with a shark movie? The concept of ANOTHER shark terrorizing Amity is admittedly a bit ridiculous, but it was still a pretty decent movie.
Though in my opinion, the Brody family should just move back to the mainland!