Jaws 2-4 [DVD]

The problem with the Jaws series is that there's not a lot you can do with a shark other than having it hang around a beach and attack people from time to time.

Jaws 2 is a decent effort as far as sequels go. It's a bit of a rehash, but has some nice set pieces and by focussng on Brody's paranoia adds something to the characterisation as well.

Jaws 3 is my least favourite. It has little connection to the other films, and was a poor attempt to breathe some life into series that had run its course (it was released in 3D if I remember rightly).

Jaws - The Revenge is simply one of the worst films ever made. And I meant that in a good way! It's got Michael Caine at his worst, and the suggestion that sharks somehow have a personal vendatta against the Brody family. It's as trashy as hell, but well worth a chuckle.

Remember the Meatloaf song? Well I needed Jaws 2, I wanted Jaws 3, as for Jaws 4 it fills a space in the box.
As was explained in Jaws 2 Shark's don't hold grudges but here we have a series of sharks who have it in for the Brody bunch big style.
Jaws 2 is a good movie and captures Chief Brody's fall from grace quite admirably. It is well acted, the addition of the kids was a great idea. The attack on the flotilla of small boats at the end is very well done. The scarred shark looks great. There are plenty of extras on the Jaws 2 disc, a documentary on the making of Jaws 2, deleted scenes, scoring the movie. The other 2 discs are devoid of extras of any note.
Jaws 3, set in a marine park goes off at a tangent but is a suitable addition to the series. The 3D effects do get a little tedious and the 35 foot shark stretches credibility but as an action movie it works for me.
Jaws The Revenge is an utter travesty but as Michael Caine says it enabled him to build a house. The idea of a Shark travelling along the coast looking for revenge....this has plumbed uncharted depths. The movie may have been redeemed if Caine had mentioned something about blowing the bloody jaws off. Even the scene with Mike Brody's daughter copying his actions at the table, a scene copied from the original movie is more of an insult than a tribute. There are several other scenes that bear a resemblance to incidents from the first 3 movies.
As I love shark movies I just had to have all the Jaws movies but that's purely because I am a compulsive completist, Jaws The Revenge should be avoided by any sane people, but get 2 & 3 by all means.
John Williams memorable Jaws motif is used throughout and is by far the classiest part of these last three films.

The three Jaws sequals.

Jaws 2 is a well-made and entertaining film. Amity is once again threatened by the presence of a large Great White, and once more Brody finds himself a lone voice of sanity in a community who don't want to know. I'd put this film on a par with the original. The characters are as good as before, Chief Brody is now more of a tortured soul and makes a sympathetic hero. The shark, with its burnt face, looks effectively horrific and there are some great scenes of suspence.

Jaws 3. Hmm. You know what to expect from this film when you see that fish's head being bitten off and then looking at the viewer with its mouth opening and closing in unintentionally comic fashion. A baby shark is captured in Sea World, a cross between an underwater theme park and Butlins, and before long its massive parent is forcing its way into the park. On the staff are Chief Brody's two sons (though they might as well be Ren & Stimpy for what it has to do with the plot, and considering the trauma they suffered as children involving sharks they seem very keen to dive back into the water). This film probably looked good as a script. If only it had more money spent on it I think it could have been great. Instead we are treated to a hilariously mechanical-looking shark and effects which just inspire humour rather than horror. The 3-D is kind of limp and feels as though it was tacked on as a selling point.

Jaws:The Revenge. The cheddar feast continues. Ladies ange gentlemen, welcome to Jaws - The Revenge. See the amazing flying, roaring, exploding shark, the world's first hit-man with fins who can turn the water red without even killing anyone. Watch it swim across the sea in a matter of hours. Watch it track down the relatives of someone who killed one of its brethren. See the amazing Ellen Brody, who by telepathic means can remember things she never witnessed. Watch the death-defying Jake as he returns from the dead. Or something like that. The real tragedy is that there are scenes in this film which show how good it could have been if it hadn't been bogged down with an utterly daft storyline and a load of laughably fake accents. Not to mention some cheap-looking effects. What happened to the profits from the earlier films? The first ten minutes are great. The camera-work in the title sequence looks effectively sinister and its accompanied by some good music. The younger Brody brother being torn limb from limb while the unsuspecting community sings Christmas carols is a genuine horror moment, as is the scene where a woman is pulled from a banana boat and crushed to death in front of several screaming little girls. Michael Caine does his best to inject warmth and humour into the storyline, but it's all just a might-have-been.

One classic film, two dodgy films which are nevertheless good for a laugh. There is a wealth of extras involving the making of Jaws 2, meaning this box-set is well worth it if you're a fan of these kinds of movies.