The Jaws Thread

[Sarah]

Love me a shark movie but I don't like how they are portrayed as being man eaters. I'd happily go for a wee swim with one or two.

Bruce being the exception. He is The King.

 

[Alison Carr]

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Oh - the sacrilege of using Alan Parker's Jaws 3 theme.

Seriously though, it works really well. Love the choice of shots used.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, a Jaws mini-series was a fantasy of mine as a teenager. It was to be gritty and dark, mostly land-based Amity drama and based on the Benchley book... complete with Hooper/Ellen sexcapades.

 

[JR-Rules]

Oh - the sacrilege of using Alan Parker's Jaws 3 theme.

Seriously though, it works really well. Love the choice of shots used.

Yes well done... Except it's Lorraine GARY (and not GRAY)

As mentioned earlier in this thread, a Jaws mini-series was a fantasy of mine as a teenager. It was to be gritty and dark, mostly land-based Amity drama and based on the Benchley book... complete with Hooper/Ellen sexcapades.

It would be so great!!! I never thought it could be a mini series! Excellent idea!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It would be so great!!! I never thought it could be a mini series! Excellent idea!

Oh thanks. It was just an idea that popped into my head when I read the book as a kid, and my (then) vivid imagination ran away with it.

Bear in mind it was the Eighties and I was watching a lot of soapy mini-series at the time, so it was a natural progression. Besides, even reviews likened the romantic dramas in the book to Peyton Place.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Just now I glanced at the date, and this classic Larry Vaughn line immediately popped into my head:

This means of course, that in the Jaws timeline, today is the anniversary of the sign vandalism:

Sick vandalism. I want those paint happy bastards caught and hung up by their Busker Browns.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Tiger Shark capture and autopsy, Mrs Kintner's famous slap, Sean Brody mimicking his father's actions at the dining table and the discovery of Ben Gardner's boat... and head!!!

And tomorrow will be the anniversary of the fin fakeout prank and Ted Grossman's death-by-overacting in the Estuary:

I love that Jaws has a very specific and explicit timeline of its events. It's something the first two sequels are badly missing (among other things).


2021 was the first time in many years that I didn't have my annual Jaws screening. I watched so many Jaws first time reaction videos I was kind of all Jaws-ed up. I'm on the clock with my MCU watch this month, so if I do watch this year it will be later than my usual 28th June - 6th July viewing, probably late July or early August. And I currently feel it's also going to be a Jaws 2 year as it's longer still since I watched that one.

In the meantime, I've spruced up my avatar, signature and profile page banner with my usual summer Jaws theme.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

if I do watch this year it will be later than my usual 28th June - 6th July viewing, probably late July or early August.

As it turned out, last night was the night.

This time round was a strange experience with Jaws. Usually when I watch I'm watching old soaps or sitcoms. This year I've been streaming a lot and have watched oodles of newer films and TV series which I've never watched before. This meant that Jaws felt less of an event than it usually does when I rewatch (and it should have felt like more of an event, since I didn't have my annual screening last summer).

Since I know it frame-by-frame and verbatim, I fancied doing something a little different this time. I initially considered selecting a random language from one of the audio options on the Blu-ray (when it first came out on DVD back in 2000 I remember watching it in Spanish just because I could). Anyway, I ended up not doing that.

Instead I decided that I would watch the entire film looking only at the background wherever possible to drink in as many small details as I could. It made for a pleasant viewing experience, if a very objective one.

It was fun to watch the numerous extras (mostly Martha's Vineyard locals) doing their thing and trying to be in the moment, from rubbing on sunscreen, to looking and pointing at the water after Alex Kintner's death, to "Bad Hat" Harry disappearing into his little beach hut after teasing Brody about his thalassophobia.

It was also enjoyable to spend more time focussing on Martha's Vineyard itself, taking in the scenery such as the neighbouring house to the Brody which can be seen from their bedroom window. I was also trying to piece together (from many hours studying Jaws Books, Google Maps and Street View) which parts of the island were used for which scene. And while of course Chappaquiddick can be seen clearly in the background of the ferry scene, it's on the horizon in some other scenes more than I'd realised.

Watching this way doubled the sense of disorientation and agoraphobia in the final act when we're out at sea and there's no land to be seen in any shot. After watching so objectively I was pulled back in, and Quint's Indianapolis Speech affected me more deeply than usual. When he said "Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side..." I physically got chills, goose pimples and my stomach turned. As he went on, I found myself tearful. I don't think I've ever found it more emotional. It truly is a terrific performance from Robert Shaw.

It boggles my mind that Jaws didn't receive more Academy Award nominations, but there was some big competition that year and there is a lot of snobbery around "summer blockbuster" films - even if Jaws was the first..

As you mentioned, Chrissie was killed July 1 (and discovered July 2). Then you can clearly see that Mrs Kintner offers $3000 to kill the shak who killed his son June 29th! The second victim was killed BEFORE the first victim!
By the way June 29th 1974 is not sunday but saturday...

Looking back over this, (belatedly) based on what you've said it makes sense that the film must be set in 1975 since 29th June 1975 was a Sunday. The date on the police report was probably one of those details that was hastily added and not intended to be seen by the audience. It might even have been the date the scene was filmed or something.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Mel, I always enjoy when we get this thread going again. I need to sit down and watch the movie myself as it’s been awhile for me too. I was actually born about six months before the movie’s release so sadly I didn’t get to see it til many years later. Actually I saw the third and fourth movies long before I saw the first one, and it wasn’t until 1992 when I was flipping the channels one night that I found the original. People had told me to go back and watch it but considering how I felt about the ones I’d already seen I guess I just never got around to it. And as I sat there and watched it for the first time, I felt a very high level of stupidity at being one of the few people on the planet to wait 17 years to watch JAWS. It didn’t take very long to realize what a masterpiece it was.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Mel, I always enjoy when we get this thread going again.

Same here, DFF. You know summer is here when the Jaws thread picks up once more.

I was actually born about six months before the movie’s release so sadly I didn’t get to see it til many years later. Actually I saw the third and fourth movies long before I saw the first one, and it wasn’t until 1992 when I was flipping the channels one night that I found the original. People had told me to go back and watch it but considering how I felt about the ones I’d already seen I guess I just never got around to it. And as I sat there and watched it for the first time, I felt a very high level of stupidity at being one of the few people on the planet to wait 17 years to watch JAWS. It didn’t take very long to realize what a masterpiece it was.

That's great. I love hearing about people's journeys with certain films and film series, and I'm glad you did end up discovering Jaws in all its greatness.

Can you remember what you thought of the third and fourth films the first time you saw them? You were in a really unusual position of not comparing them directly with the original on that first watch.

Like you, I'm too young to have watched Jaws when it was first released. I watched its British TV debut in October 1981 and it was the first film to terrify me. I've been fascinated/obsessed with it ever since. That first broadcast was watched by over half the country and is still the second most watched film in British TV history, so I was part of something special. There's a little article about it here.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Can you remember what you thought of the third and fourth films the first time you saw them? You were in a really unusual position of not comparing them directly with the original on that first watch.

I thought they were decent films but I didn’t enjoy them enough to go back and watch the original. My reaction was like, “So this is Jaws? What’s the big deal?” So I really had no desire to watch the original based on what I had seen. Family and friends would try to persuade me to go back and see it but I just kept putting it off. Once I did though, it totally changed my opinion on the last two. I couldn’t believe they were all a part of the same franchise.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I thought they were decent films but I didn’t enjoy them enough to go back and watch the original. My reaction was like, “So this is Jaws? What’s the big deal?”

Oh yes, I forgot about that part. Even though you hadn't watched Jaws it's impossible not to have heard about its reputation. No wonder you found those last two films really underwhelming and weren't in a hurry to watch the original.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Oh yes, I forgot about that part. Even though you hadn't watched Jaws it's impossible not to have heard about its reputation. No wonder you found those last two films really underwhelming and weren't in a hurry to watch the original.

And don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the last two films. I know most fans do, which I totally understand, but going back and seeing the original AFTER seeing those was quite shocking for me. I just never expected it to become one of my all time favorite films, which of course it did.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I don’t hate the last two films. I know most fans do

Yeah - they're really disliked. It's like the last seasons of Dallas.

I view all the sequels very fondly.

The first time I watched Jaws 2 I was young enough that I could just be grateful for the chance to revisit Amity, and for some time when I was young I actually preferred it to the original. I've since changed my view on that dramatically, but I still think there's a lot of good stuff as well as a lot of wasted potential. I also read the novel and that helped me love it more. Believe it or not, Jaws 2 is the sequel that disappoints me most on rewatches, because unlike the third and fourth it's the one that could have been great if it hadn't taken so many wrong turns (don't get me started on Scarface The Shark ).

Jaws 3-D was the first Jaws film I watched in the cinema, and my first 3-D film experience. I know it's a bad film, but again because I was so young I just filtered that out and got on board with the fun. I try to always tap into that whenever I watch it.

Jaws The Revenge was yet another different experience (I realise now that my first experience with each Jaws film is different from the others), because I read most of the novel before seeing the film at the cinema, and that made it a richer experience. Even at the time I watched, I knew it was a bad film (though I didn't get how bad it was), but I find watching it really nostalgic and almost comforting.

going back and seeing the original AFTER seeing those was quite shocking for me. I just never expected it to become one of my all time favorite films, which of course it did.

Well that's great. And it goes to show what a great film it was that you overcame all your doubts about it once you'd watched.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Yeah - they're really disliked. It's like the last seasons of Dallas.

Yes, very much so! And it pains me to agree LOL

I view all the sequels very fondly.

The funny thing is the sequels have grown on me now over the years, even the last two. If I’m flipping the channels and there they are, I can’t turn them off. Maybe it’s nostalgia, having seen them so young, I don’t know. Are they great films? Of course not, yet I do still find them very entertaining.

The first time I watched Jaws 2 I was young enough that I could just be grateful for the chance to revisit Amity, and for some time when I was young I actually preferred it to the original.

As soon as I finally caught the original in 1992, I watched Jaws 2 a couple of weeks later. I really liked it then. Of course following a blockbuster is never easy, and I agree that the movie does have its flaws. I think it makes for a pretty solid sequel, but when I see it now I guess I view the gap between it and the original as being a little wider than I did back then.

Jaws 3-D was the first Jaws film I watched in the cinema, and my first 3-D film experience

Same here, yet I didn’t quite understand the 3-D concept just yet. I heard people saying “Put on these glasses and the shark will be right here in the theatre.” Well, I was a little alarmed at first but kept that part to myself until I finally understood what they were all talking about.

Even at the time I watched, I knew it was a bad film (though I didn't get how bad it was), but I find watching it really nostalgic and almost comforting

Yes, that’s exactly how I feel about the third and fourth films now. I think it’s great to hear someone viewing them positively as I do feel they take a little too much criticism at times. I openly criticize them, probably even as I’m watching them, but there’s still something captivating about them for me after all these years. Of course they’re not the original, but what is?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Of course following a blockbuster is never easy, and I agree that the movie does have its flaws.

What I find interesting is that both Jaws and Jaws 2 had very troubled productions, but while those troubles worked against the second film they helped make the original film even better. A good part of that was Steven Spielberg's ingenuity and creativity in working around the problems they had.

Jaws 2, for me, is really about a potential that's never quite met. It's really strong in places and it could have been the film I used to think it was when I was younger (if that makes any sense).

I'd love to have seen original Jaws 2 director's version of the film, which was said to be much darker.

I think it makes for a pretty solid sequel, but when I see it now I guess I view the gap between it and the original as being a little wider than I did back then.

That's a great way of putting it and, yes, that sums up how I feel about it as well.

Same here, yet I didn’t quite understand the 3-D concept just yet. I heard people saying “Put on these glasses and the shark will be right here in the theatre.” Well, I was a little alarmed at first but kept that part to myself until I finally understood what they were all talking about.

Oh yikes. That must have been scary. I remember watching with my parents and my Mum physically backed away when the water from the syringe squirted at the screen.

I also remember eating lots of Shredded Wheat because they did a Jaws 3-D version where there were four different 3-D comic strips to collect from the sides of the pack (the cardboard 3-D glasses were inside the packs).

I'd never have dreamt back then that one day there'd be a 3-D Blu-ray version I'd be able to watch at home. I had to snap that one up!

I think it’s great to hear someone viewing them positively as I do feel they take a little too much criticism at times.

Yes, I think people like to pile on them, mainly because they were such high profile films. Of course, there are many far, far worse films that get little to no criticism from most people.

I openly criticize them, probably even as I’m watching them, but there’s still something captivating about them for me after all these years.

Amen to that, DFF.

 

[DallasFanForever]

What I find interesting is that both Jaws and Jaws 2 had very troubled productions, but while those troubles worked against the second film they helped make the original film even better

I’ve always loved hearing the stories of those troubled productions, none of which I even knew until the 25th anniversary DVD release. Today, of course, CGI would take care of most of that but I love the story of the struggle behind the scenes and what they were faced with. To me that’s part of the charm of making those movies back then.

Jaws 2, for me, is really about a potential that's never quite met. It's really strong in places and it really could have been the film I used to think it was when I was younger (if that makes any sense).

I continue to have mixed feelings on it til this day. There are things I really love about it and then there are things that totally separate it from the original for me. On its own, a good movie. As a sequel? Good but not quite enough.

Oh yikes. That must have been scary. I remember watching with my parents and my Mum physically backed away when the water from the syringe squirted at the screen.

I remember a lot of screaming in my theatre, but thankfully not the real scary type. It was more of the fun kind, if that makes any sense. The 3D actually made it much more enjoyable for me. Looking back on it, was it hokey? Cheesy? Sure, but it was just a gimmick.

I also remember eating lots of Shredded Wheat because they did a Jaws 3-D version where there were four different 3-D comic strips to collect from the sides of the pack (the cardboard 3-D glasses were inside the packs).

Ahhh, the good old days of ripping open cereal boxes and bypassing all that nutrition to get to what we really wanted (and needed) in life!

I'd never have dreamt back then that one day there'd be a 3-D Blu-ray version I'd be able to watch at home. I had to snap that one up!

Can’t say I blame you!

Yes, I think people like to pile on them, mainly because they were such high profile films. Of course, there are many far, far worse films that get little to no criticism from most people.

Very true! I guess it all comes down to taste of course but it does seem that the higher profile the film, the higher the bashing.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I’ve always loved hearing the stories of those troubled productions, none of which I even knew until the 25th anniversary DVD release.

I don't know if you've read The Jaws Log, written by Carl Gottlieb (who was heavily involved in rewrites for Jaws and also appeared as Gazette owner Harry Meadows), but if not it's well worth a look. It's one of the best books on the making of a film I've ever read, written by someone who was there. It's quite easy to track down a copy as it's revised and updated pretty much every five years.

Today, of course, CGI would take care of most of that but I love the story of the struggle behind the scenes and what they were faced with. To me that’s part of the charm of making those movies back then.

Absolutely. Onscreen, the weary men struggling out at sea, ill-equipped for the challenge they're facing is far more meaningful because it perfectly reflects the process off-screen. You really can't beat practical effects and I think they always feel more truthful even when they don't look as aesthetically pleasing.

I continue to have mixed feelings on it til this day. There are things I really love about it and then there are things that totally separate it from the original for me.

Part of the film's difficulty is that it invites comparison with the original Jaws because of its structure and tone. Originally, the story took a very different approach, much darker and with a more psychological approach with the town suffering from the hit to the economy after the attacks in the first film. Instead, after it was retooled the story ended up a retread of the first film, hitting many of the same beats as Jaws.

Apart from feeling at times like a remake, it's also less plausible that Larry Vaughn and the townspeople would be so quick to dismiss Martin's claims this time, and that Martin would end up mano a mano with a Great White for a second time.

I also think the shark looks worse with its burns and scars and huge underbite, which is made worse because it's shown far too much.


I know the above sounds like I hate the film, but I really don't. As I said, I'm really fond of it and it's definitely my favourite of the sequels. Roy Scheider's performance is on a par with that in the original (even more so when you consider he was forced into doing the sequel and really didn't want to be there). It's great to see Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Jeffrey Kramer, as well as returning original characters on the board of selectmen (Fritzi Jane "Are. You going. To close. The beaches?" Courtney; Alfred "Bad Hat Harry" Wilde; Cyprian "I"m trying to absorb some of this sun" Dube). And of course the return to Amity.

When rewatching in recent years, Jaws 2 disappoints a little more because it feels like a better film in my head. I can't forget how I viewed it as up there with - and even better than - the original when I was very young, and of course that's a ridiculously high benchmark to set for a film that's decent enough but is ultimately a second helping of an already-satisfying meal.

I remember a lot of screaming in my theatre, but thankfully not the real scary type. It was more of the fun kind, if that makes any sense.

Completely. I think that shared experience can really add to the enjoyment of a film and influence how we view it afterwards. I've had some great cinema experiences with some films that make those films feel very special to me, which they might not otherwise.

Ahhh, the good old days of ripping open cereal boxes and bypassing all that nutrition to get to what we really wanted (and needed) in life!

Ha ha. Absolutely.

Not to mention the thrilling adverts that accompanied them:

 

[DallasFanForever]

I don't know if you've read The Jaws Log, written by Carl Gottlieb

I’ve actually never read it but you’re not the first person to recommend it to me. I have to check this out as I’m sure it’s something I would enjoy reading.

You really can't beat practical effects and I think they always feel more truthful even when they don't look as aesthetically pleasing.

That’s the problem I usually end up having with CGI. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the amazing things they can do now but we do end up losing the charm and the realism of what the struggle of making the movie was like. The story behind the making of Jaws is just as fun to watch as the movie itself for me.

Originally, the story took a very different approach, much darker and with a more psychological approach with the town suffering from the hit to the economy after the attacks in the first film

I do wish they had kept this approach. Had they done that I think we are looking at a movie much better suited as a sequel. I have a feeling that 45 years later we might be debating which was the better film.

Apart from feeling at times like a remake, it's also less plausible that Larry Vaughn and the townspeople would be so quick to dismiss Martin's claims this time, and that Martin would end up mano a mano with a Great White for a second time.

This always bothered me as well. Considering what ended up happening in the first film, you would think Martin’s claims in this film would carry more credibility. Had everyone just forgotten? Or was it a case of everyone just wanting to forget, a matter of hoping somehow he was wrong because no one wanted to relive the horror? It comes off as making him look like the only person in the movie with any intelligence . He’s the central character, it’s his logic and gut feeling against everyone’s stupidity, I get it but I wish they would’ve made it a little more balanced at times.

I also think the shark looks worse with its burns and scars and huge underbite, which is made worse because it's shown far too much.


I know the above sounds like I hate the film, but I really don't.

I know what you mean. I don’t hate it either but these criticisms are warranted. I really loved the movie the first time I saw it, and then as time passed I noticed myself liking it less and less. And now I’m noticing that I’m starting to really enjoy it again for some reason.

When rewatching in recent years, Jaws 2 disappoints a little more because it feels like a better film in my head. I can't forget how I viewed it as up there with - and even better than - the original when I was very young, and of course that's a ridiculously high benchmark to set for a film that's decent enough but is ultimately a second helping of an already-satisfying meal.

This is going to sound like a contradiction to what I’ve already said but bare with me. Whenever I watch the first movie I immediately watch the second. The first one leaves me on such a high that I have to keep going. Ultimately, of course, I’m setting myself up for disappointment by watching them back to back but at the same time when that second one ends I’m noticing I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. I really can’t explain this.

I've had some great cinema experiences with some films that make those films feel very special to me, which they might not otherwise.

I’ve always felt that watching in the cinema, whether walking away happy or disappointed, adds to the emotion of it all a lot more than watching on the old couch does. If Jaws was hypothetically re-released in theaters for the 50th anniversary in a few years, would I go? Of course I would. And it wouldn’t matter which film it was out of the four of them. It could be any of them. I’d even put on the 3D glasses again.

Not to mention the thrilling adverts that accompanied them:

Wow!! That commercial brings back memories. I remember being told by mom if I open the box to look for the glasses then I have to at least try the cereal. I thought the cereal was horrible but it was a fair price to pay in the end.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I currently feel it's also going to be a Jaws 2 year as it's longer still since I watched that one.

Jaws 2 is the sequel that disappoints me most on rewatches, because unlike the third and fourth it's the one that could have been great if it hadn't taken so many wrong turns

Well, last night I did it and dived into Jaws 2 for the first time in at least three years. It could be as long as four or five years!!

I'm glad we've been talking about the film here in the last few days, flaws and all, because I subconsciously went in with fairly low expectations. The result was that I really enjoyed myself. The first act in particular is very enjoyable but, looking at the timer around the time the Orca sequence happened, I was surprised to find we were only thirty minutes in. Even though it was pleasant to watch, it felt like longer, whereas Jaws always feels far shorter than its two hour running time.

When watching Jaws just a couple of days before, I mixed things up by consciously focussing on the background of scenes to see what was going on which made me appreciate all the layers. What I found was that this just didn't work with Jaws 2. While the setups are nice and many scenes are attractively framed, the focus is strictly on the people in shot. Even in crowd scenes, there are just hundreds of well-behaved, if bland, extras. It's essentially a television approach, where we really see only what we need to see. Jeannot Szwarc throws in the occasional visual bit of fun*, but it's mostly quite static and orderly. Action sequences with boats aside, it's a far less kinetic film than Jaws, and I particularly miss naturalistic touches such as overlapping dialogue (think of Brody getting the phone call about Chrissie's disappearance while Ellen sorts out Michael's bleeding hand in the background). This is a key part of what makes Jaws, Jaws, but which none of the sequels use.

That said, my choice to deliberately focus on details did yield some things I'd never spotted before. Most notably, for the first time I noticed the bottle green bomber jacket of Brody's which was passed on to Tina after finding her in shock (he wrapped it around her shoulders) was then worn by Ellen who had it draped over her shoulders in her final scene where she ticked off Len Peterson and then looked out to sea. I myself have two that are very similar to it, but I now crave Brody's jacket - even though Tina got snot on it when he found her hiding on Tina's Joy.

Mysteriously, when Brody finds the stranded teens in time for the big finale, he is now wearing a different jacket (similar to a safari jacket) in a lighter shade of green. Where did this come from? Beneath his original bomber jacket he had on just a grey t-shirt. Neither Ellen or Hendricks wore or carried anything that resembled this second jacket. Was it just lying about in the police launch? Perhaps a standard police issue jacket kept especially for confronting sharks? Is it meant to be the same bomber jacket (which is now very clearly on shore by this time)? I'm confused.

It's good news/bad news with the kids this time. It goes without saying that Jackie has to be the most annoying character in the whole franchise. The screaming. The histrionics. Last night, chants of "Feed her to the shark! Feed her to the shark!" could be heard from the O'Drama sofa (to no avail, sadly). It struck me, too, that most of the kids overacted when it came to the final act. All the shark had to do was wave a friendly fin from a mile away, and they were "Oh my Gaaaard"ing and screaming like nobody's business. I know he's a kid and one should cut a break, but Jaws 2 Sean is an incredibly annoying little git. He feels too knowingly precocious and rather stage school-y. He'd never have been cast in the original where the kids felt like kids rather than child actors.

That said, I found the young ensemble surprisingly engaging in the first part of the film. Keith Gordon and G. Thomas Dunlop seem to get better each time I watch. Gary Springer, too, is very engaging, as is Billy van Zandt. Even characters who usually feel more peripheral, such as Patrick, Brooke and Lucy really worked for me. I hadn't spotted the scene in the bar before where Patrick and Lucy can be seen in the foreground drinking from their glasses facing one another, but with elbows entwined. As it turned out, the bar scene (usually one of my least favourites) was great for background watching, and is one of the most kinetic, natural-feeling scenes.

I also had fun spotting where locations cut from Martha's Vineyard to Florida. Granted, it's usually pretty obvious due to the different landscape and sand colour, but it's pretty well done.

The scene where Brody steps from his vehicle to the car park, into the Navarre Holiday Inn and inside to Ellen is one impressively huge sweeping shot that captures most of the cast (this week is the first time I'd spotted Hendricks was present at the event).



* During the montage the man taking the photo of the big bottomed mother and daughter at first holds his camera vertically, then moves the camera aside to look them up and down before deciding to hold the camera horizontally in order to fit them in. It's sizeist, and would probably never fly today without protest, but it's a cute little moment that shows the cheeky European humour Szwarc brought to the table.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Had they done that I think we are looking at a movie much better suited as a sequel. I have a feeling that 45 years later we might be debating which was the better film.

Watching last night, the only remaining Hancock shot in the film (the boats moving in the harbour at night and the shark fin appearing) looked absolutely stunning with its blue filtered hue. I think his version of Jaws 2 would have been a fantastic looking film.

It comes off as making him look like the only person in the movie with any intelligence . He’s the central character, it’s his logic and gut feeling against everyone’s stupidity, I get it but I wish they would’ve made it a little more balanced at times.

Absolutely. Even Fogarty the chemist phones Brody before developing all the pictures. And it just happens that the first he develops in front of Brody is the one with the shark. It's such a contrivance it's almost annoying. But it's such a creepy moment - helped by John Williams's score - that I give them a pass. In a way it's probably no more contrived than Ben Gardner's head popping out of the boat, or Brody and Hooper failing to mention Gardner's death to Vaughn.

Whenever I watch the first movie I immediately watch the second. The first one leaves me on such a high that I have to keep going. Ultimately, of course, I’m setting myself up for disappointment by watching them back to back but at the same time when that second one ends I’m noticing I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. I really can’t explain this.

I can relate. That's exactly the experience I've had this week.

If Jaws was hypothetically re-released in theaters for the 50th anniversary in a few years, would I go? Of course I would.

Same here. I was lucky enough to see it in cinemas when it was re-released after being upgraded to HD, and it was wonderful. Best of all, the cinema was almost empty because I went on a weekday, so I felt like it was being screened especially for me.

And it wouldn’t matter which film it was out of the four of them. It could be any of them. I’d even put on the 3D glasses again.

Again, it's the same for me.

Jaws 2 is the only one of the series I haven't seen on the big screen. I'd love to remedy that. Perhaps in 2028 for its 50th?!