Jaws Quadrilogy - Part 2

The second Jaws movie was released in 1978, and was not based on a novel. In fact, Peter Benchley had nothing to do with it. It is a bit of a departure from the first: no more Matt Hooper (although they tried to call him, but he was on the Aurora which mentioned in the first Jaws), more Ellen Brody than the first, it’s no longer the summer season filled with tourists, and the style of the story is different too. A new director (Jeannot Szwarc) adds a completely new style to this movie.

Most people don’t like the second Jaws movie because it’s not as good as the first. And they would be partially correct: it isn’t as good as the first, but not much really can be. The first one (by accident or on purpose) was very much in the style of Hitchcock. The second one on the other hand went about from the beginning to show you the shark. You know it’s going to be a shark movie before it starts, so why hide it from you. The difference is that first time you see the shark, it is burned from an attack on a small boat and its skier. This gives the shark a menacing profile for the rest of the movie. But, on the other hand, this movie begins the series’ break with science too. Would a shark actually speed along, stalking a water skier? Then attack the boat? Probably not. But would a shark investigate a crashed helicopter? Probably. Would it attack the helicopter? Probably not. The movie has its moments with and without science.

This movie follows two storylines: Chief Brody and the high school kids. I find the Brody story to be very interesting. Brody knows right away when a dead killer whale washes on shore that a great white had attacked it, but not even the marine biologist agrees. He becomes obsessed with trying to prove that another shark is back. He fights hard against the city board of elders to prove it. A great scene is where he shoots at a shadow in the water that turns out to be a school of bluefish; however, the beach is filled with families. Mayor Vaughn and the elders revoke his title and fire him, leaving Hendricks to be in charge. The other story is the high school kids. In this community, instead of cruising in their cars, kids go out on their boats to cruise. One day, Brody’s oldest (Michael) goes out with the crew (against his father’s wishes). Sean (Brody’s younger son) persuades Michael to take him along. They decide to sail out to Cable Junction, which is the farthest east one can sail before the open Atlantic Ocean. En route, the shark attacks the sailors and they are set adrift, floating on the wreckage of their boats. They tie the wrecks together to stay safe. Meanwhile, Brody learns that a bunch of kids are out sailing and takes the police boat to find them. After the initial attack on the kids, Michael is injured and the only sailable boat takes him back in for medical attention and to get help. Brody finds this boat and they tell him that his other son is out there. Brody goes on a crusade to find the floating wreck. The kids finally float to Cable Junction and get stuck, which is where Brody finds them. A showdown with the shark ensues.

This movie is obviously not the first, but the story has some very strong parts. The direction isn’t too bad. It is not Steven Spielberg direction, but that’s okay. Szwarc does a good job with what he has. Carl Gottlieb and Howard Sackler return to write this movie, and the ties to the first are very close. I always thought of this movie as being “the next day” even though it is a few years after the first. Unlike the first which used the theme to signify when the shark was present, this movie does not stick with that theme, which makes the viewer wonder where the shark really is. It toys with the viewer a little bit. The scare tactics in this movie are a little clichéd and the whole notions of using teens in trouble is a bit overused (although in 1978, it wasn’t).

But for all it is, it doesn’t scare as much as the first. The first seemed to set up rules, then change them in the third act. This movie just skips all over the place with its rules, which takes the reality out of it. The method of killing the shark was more outlandish than the explosion in the first movie. The acting is questionable with some of the teens.

All in all, it’s a perfectly okay movie. I like it as a second Jaws movie, but as a standalone, it’s not so good. I think it’s worth a viewing though. But most people will say “it’s not good” or “it’s stupid”. But have you really watched it? There were some really good moments.

Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXd34wdcZkQ