Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Genres

Horror, Thriller

Director

Joseph Sargent

Country

USA

Cast

Lorraine Gary, Lance Guest, Mario Van Peebles, Karen Young, Judith Barsi, Michael Caine, Lynn Whitfield, Mitchell Anderson, Roy Scheider, Cedric Scott, Charles Bowleg, Melvin Van Peebles, Mary Smith, Edna Billotto, Fritzi Jane Courtney

Storyline

After the encounter with the shark at Sea World, the Brody family yet again has to face the shark.

Opinion

As if Jaws 3-D wasn't bad enough, someone at the Universal Studios thought it would make sense to make another film starring the killing shark. And it does, but only from a money-making point of view because Jaws: The Revenge sucks on every level and manages to be even and a lot worse than its predecessor.

It has one of the most ridiculous plots of all time, a shark taking revenge on a family, that couldn't care less about what was said in one of the previous films that being sharks do not take things personally. I guess the writers not only know nothing about sharks, but they haven't seen the other movies of the series either.

The shark hunting down the Brody family (which by the way wouldn't have happened if they used their grey cells and did not go on vacation to the Bahamas) isn't even the most non-sense thing going on if you consider that the focus of the movie shifts on Mrs Brody for no reason whatsoever and it's she that attempts at killing the shark.

However, that plot, the flat characters, the terrible performances from the cast and the dreadful dialogue are far from being the tip of the iceberg. That's easily on the dull special effects, the lack of suspense and tension. And the lack of scares. Lorraine Gary's hair is probably the most frightening thing in the movie.

Jaws 3-D (1983)

Genres

Horror, Thriller

Director

Joe Alves

Country

USA

Cast

Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Simon MacCorkindale, Louis Gossett Jr., John Putch, Lea Thompson, Harry Grant, P.H. Moriarty, Dan Blasko, Liz Morris, Lisa Maurer, Kaye Stevens

Storyline

Mike (Dennis Quaid) and Sean Brody (John Putch), the sons of former police chief Brody, must protect the people at the Sea World Park as a 35-foot shark wreaks havoc on the visitors.

Opinion

After watching the not-so-bad Jaws 2, I knew the franchise would get worse. What I did not know was how worse it would get with Jaw 3-D, a jaw-dropping awful addition to the series.

The plot has never been particularly smart but this time is worse than ever. The whole idea of a baby shark and the (over)protective mother shark is very stupid, and the shark wreaking havoc in the amusement park part would have been decent if the writers knew what the hell they were doing.

Unfortunately, the cringing screenplay isn't the only problem with Jaws 3-D. And it isn't even the biggest. This film is tremendously boring simply because the director wasn't able to deliver any tension and suspense. Those scenes that are supposed to be tense are so recycled they are just dull and unappealing. Same goes with the soundtrack that completely fails at giving you the chills.

But that's not all. Wanna know what's the icing on the cake? The special effects. They are absolutely horrifying. They are silly, cheap and laughable. I'm pretty sure a kid could do better than this by drawing a shark on Paint. Or maybe not. But in the kid's defence, he/she's just a kid, not a professional.

Jaws 2 (1978)

Genres

Horror, Thriller

Director

Jeannot Szwarc

Country

USA

Cast

Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Joseph Mascolo, Jeffrey Kramer, Collin Wilcox, Ann Dusenberry, Mark Gruner, Susan French, Barry Coe, Gary Springer, Donna Wilkes, Gary Dublin, John Dukakis, Marc Gilpin

Storyline

Four years after killing the shark, Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) once again must hunt a man-eating great white shark as the animal begins terrorizing the swimmers.

Opinion

Jaws is a fantastic piece of filmmaking basically because of the man behind it, Steven Spielberg, and Jaws 2 is the utterly proof of that since there's no Spielberg involved and the film is pretty disappointing. Still, it could have been way worse.

The plot is basically the same of the original. Still very simple and predictable and manages to be even more silly that before. It starts off pretty slow and it isn't as interesting as the original, but eventually the pace gets better and the story gets a little engaging.

However, Jaws 2 doesn't rely on suspense, tension and the right atmosphere to engage and entertain like its predecessor did. This one entirely relies on the action. It's as if the filmmakers didn't give a damn about making a scary movie so they did an action flick instead. But at least the non-stop action is nice. Sure, there's a lot of blood and guts, and cheap horror movie sharks, but it somehow manages to be a bit compelling.

And that's pretty much it. Like I mentioned above, the special effects are pretty cheap and not that effective. The acting also leaves a lot to be desired and the absence of Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss can be easily noticed.

Jaws (1975)

Genres

Horror, Thriller

Director

Steven Spielberg

Country

USA

Cast

Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jonathan Filley, Ted Grossman, Chris Rebello, Jay Mello, Lee Fierro, Jeffrey Voorhees, Craig Kingsbury, Robert Nevin, Peter Benchley

Storyline

When a shark starts attacking the people on Amity Island, Cheif Police Brody (Roy Scheider) attempts to hunt it down with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a shark hunter (Robert Shaw).

Opinion

I've always avoided Jaws like the plague because I thought it was going to be another of those poorly aged movies from the 70s that are supposed to be scary and tense but actually are pretty lame and dull. Yes, I knew Spielberg is the man behind it, but he did some pretty terrible stuff in the past - 1941 - so I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. But obviously that didn't happen. Jaws is so tense and gripping, it sure deserves all the fame.

And Spielberg is the one to be thanked for that. He took a paper-thin and rather stupid story - that was my biggest concern, to be honest - and he turned it into a great story filled with tension that, in spite of its simplicity, has some nice plot twists. They are not mind-blowing, but they are surprisingly good considering the overall story.

If I have to be completely honest, the story isn't even that scary. So, once again, thank you, Steven, for making of Jaws such a scary film. It's the atmosphere he sets up and the suspense he masterfully builds towards the climax that make the film as effective as it is. I was glued to the screen and on the edge of the seat from start to finish. There were moments when I even held my breath. This is the kind of things I usually/only experience with football (soccer).

Jaws is also the ultimate proof that having the right musical score really helps in the making of a great film. I'm not only talking about the famous, iconic theme song - I knew and loved that already prior watching the film -, but the entire score. John Williams's easily is one of the most effective scores of all-time, not only in the horror/thriller genre.

At last but not least, this classic film also has some damn fine acting, which really came as a surprise considering it's a blockbuster. Scheider, Shaw and Dreyfuss are a real bliss to watch, especially the latter who brings so much energy and some humour as well as the marine biologist.

NETFLIX MOVIE NIGHT: Jaws

Join the Horror Duo as they swill booze while Riffing the iconic Spielberg horror flick that made the World terrified to go into the water. The same happened again, more recently, in Flint Michigan, but for a far less shark related reason. Enjoy!

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DISAGREE AND DIE: The 50 Best Films of All Time - Part 1

To celebrate Slaughter Film's 200 podcast, Forest has taken on the painstaking task of chronicling 50 of the very best film of all time. This list is non-negotiable. This isn't just some half baked list created by an internet talking head to drum up click-bate traffic. This is the real deal people! Disagree and Die! Enjoy.

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PODCAST 61: Jaws: The Revenge & Antiviral

This week Forest brings his Jaws-a-thon to a conclusion with Jaws: The Revenge, and this time it's personal. Cory shares his thoughts on Antiviral, the first feature film of Brandon Cronenberg, son of film maker David Cronenberg.

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PODCAST 60: Jaws 3 & American Mary

This week Forest continues his four part Jaws-a-thon with Jaws 3 and Cory takes on American Mary, a film that has gotten quite a bit of attention. Could it be kissing cousins? More like transplant twins.

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PODCAST 59: Jaws 2 & Sharknado [Shark Attack Edition]

This week Forest continues his four part Jaws-a-thon with Jaws 2 and Cory aids in the shark attack madness with the widely popular, though we're not quite sure why, Sharknado.

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PODCAST 58: Jaws & The Conjuring

This week Forest reviews the film Jaws, kicking off his four part journey into the aquatic world that is the Jaws film series. Cory tackles the newly released James Wan supernatural thriller, The Conjuring. Though it is cliche at times, it still packs a hell of a punch.

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Rumor: JAWS Remake In The Works? In S3D... With Tracy Morgan!?!

Jim here. According to Cinema Blend, the classic Spielberg thriller JAWS may be rebooted in stereoscopic 3D for today's audiences. They have a source at Universal who says that they are "strongly considering a remake".

The source goes further and claims that Tracy Morgan was at one point being considered for Richard Dreyfuss' part of Matt Hooper.

That one threw me for a loop. Tracy Morgan? Well, even if they were going for a comedic touch on this one there are plenty of other comics I think I would choose in his stead. Bradley Cooper for example. HEY! Cooper... Hooper! Planets are aligning, I can feel it.

I hope they get it done actually. The last 3D attempt with JAWS failed miserably (even though I sat through it twice in theaters). More when I get it!