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Jaws 2 (1978)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 3/08, 6/20

Jaw2
3/08: Jaws 2 is a dismal sequel to one of the most successful pictures of all time.

I still don't understand the part when the mother of a water-skiing daughter decided to pour kerosene on herself during the shark attack. Anyway, looking at the burn marks on Bruce's face, it's not the same shark from the original because he was completely obliterated when the oxygen tank blew him up.

Most of the time, the sequel is fascinated with sailboats, sailor kids, and sailing. That shit gets boring fast. To make matters worse, the casting director decides to give the wussy boy from Christine a chance, and his character ultimately survives.

The more Bruce is seen, the less of a horror film Jaws 2 is. Feeling like Friday the 13th films, it's also too long, clocking at 117 minutes, when it should've been a 90-minute throwaway sequel.

All in all, it's best to temper expectations prior to seeing Jaws 2.

6/20: Jaws 2 is long in melodrama and annoying teenagers but short in horror.

The first hour is mostly character buildup for Martin Brody, but I already knew what he went through in the last film; so why repeat it? At the same time, shark sightings are surprisingly sparse.

Then, the next hour, it's a lot of screaming teenagers who have suddenly gone religion after getting the scare of their lives. Speaking of Brody's kids, didn't they learn their lesson the last time? Although Bruce shows up frequently, he looks more fake and less scary this time around. At this point, I can't say it has anything to do with Amity Beach because all shark attacks have occurred far away from there.

Roy Scheider is okay; I think he was pretty much out of his mind and went through the motions while getting into fights with the director. Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw are missed; they, along with Roy Scheider, formed the heart of the original. At least, Murray Hamilton is back, but he provides nothing new this time.

As for the location shooting, there's no way it was filmed in Massachusetts because the water looks too blue. It turns out the majority of Jaws 2 was done in Navarre Beach, Florida, and thereabouts.

All in all, Jaws 2 doesn't qualify as a horror movie because most of the teenagers weren't killed.