Jaws 2 (1978) (1 Viewer)

[Colin Jacobson]

I'd rather get my picture in National Geographic.

However it wouldn't surprise me that there are some out there who think Jaws 2 is better than the original since it has more kills, you see the shark more and there aren't as many boring "talky" parts as in the original.

Which is EXACTLY why I liked "J2" better as a kid!

When I saw the original during a 1979 re-issue, I liked it, but not as much as "J2" - for all the reasons you mentioned.

Plus "J2" was my first experience with the franchise, so that screening enjoyed a freshness the original didn't for me.

Of course, I later recognized that the original was awesome and "J2" was just okay, but as a pre-teen, "J2" was da BOMB, yo!

 

[Dick]

* Jeannot Szwarc's directing
Okay, he's no Spielberg and his low budget roots show sometimes, but some of his set ups and framings are not that bad.

My feeling is that the unsung hero of the original JAWS was the late, great editor Verna Fields (sorry, Steven). Without her masterful cutting and incredible pacing and astute choice of takes, JAWS 2 suffers immeasurably. I think the footage was there for a far better film, but the three editors employed on this film simply hadn't the combined talent to equal Fields'.

 

[Oliver Ravencrest]

I dunno. I would saw Jaws 2 is good. 3 is terrible. 4 unwatchable.

I actually prefer 4 over 3. Jaws 4 has better cinematography and I like the cast and their characters more.

 

[WillG]

I actually prefer 4 over 3. Jaws 4 has better cinematography and I like the cast and their characters more.

Hmm, I commented on this in another thread, but I believe that the cast of 3D was one of its few strengths. As far as 4, you had Gary and Caine that provided acceptable work, everyone else was a clunker IMO. Now I realize one of the few things audiences liked in 4 was Van Peebles (hence altering the ending so that he lives as the result of test screenings) but he was nothing more that a stereotypical island Mon

 

[TravisR]

,,,Van Peebles (hence altering the ending so that he lives as the result of test screenings) but he was nothing more that a stereotypical island Mon

Yeah but it's not like anyone else is a three dimensional character in the movie either. If there's any characters that are more well rounded or if the audience has any investment in them, it stems entirely from them being in previous movies.

 

[Oliver Ravencrest]

Hmm, I commented on this in another thread, but I believe that the cast of 3D was one of its few strengths. As far as 4, you had Gary and Caine that provided acceptable work, everyone else was a clunker IMO. Now I realize one of the few things audiences liked in 4 was Van Peebles (hence altering the ending so that he lives as the result of test screenings) but he was nothing more that a stereotypical island Mon

I feel the cast of Jaws 4 did better with what they had to work with (and was more appealing) than the cast of Jaws 3. All of whom had been better elsewhere. I find it easier to sit through Jaws 4.

 

[WillG]

Was watching for a bit on AMC earlier. One thing that I never really caught but thought was kind of funny. Timmy (the non Keith Gordon nerd) has a thing for Brooke. He finally works up the courage to ask her to accompany him on his boat and she enthusiastically agrees. Later he's tasked to take the injured Michael back in as he had the only functional boat after the initial shark attack. And then on cable junction, this happens...

Poor Timmy

 

[Greg_S_H]

Jaws 4 is on. When there are child actors, I look them up to see if they turned into someone currently famous. What an absolute shock and a horror to discover that the little girl who played Michael's daughter was murdered--along with her mother--by her father shortly after Jaws 4 was released. Absolutely senseless.

This movie is considered (according to Wiki) one of the worst movies ever made, but I always enjoyed it from the time I saw it in the theater. It's better than the book, which made it clear that it was the same shark following their boat down to Jamaica. I don't know, it's not that bad.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Jaws 4 is on. When there are child actors, I look them up to see if they turned into someone currently famous. What an absolute shock and a horror to discover that the little girl who played Michael's daughter was murdered--along with her mother--by her father shortly after Jaws 4 was released. Absolutely senseless.

This movie is considered (according to Wiki) one of the worst movies ever made, but I always enjoyed it from the time I saw it in the theater. It's better than the book, which made it clear that it was the same shark following their boat down to Jamaica. I don't know, it's not that bad.

Actually - it is that bad!

 

[Tino]

Bess Armstrong's performance in 3 is better than all in 4 imo. [emoji12] And that POV shot is awesome.

 

[TravisR]

Jaws 4 is on. When there are child actors, I look them up to see if they turned into someone currently famous. What an absolute shock and a horror to discover that the little girl who played Michael's daughter was murdered--along with her mother--by her father shortly after Jaws 4 was released. Absolutely senseless.

Yeah, I remember hearing about that when I was a little kid and it's stuck with me all these years. To the point that every time I see Jaws The Revenge, I'm uncomfortable when that poor kid is onscreen.

 

[Tino]

From IMDb


The only child of Jozsef Barsi and Maria Benko, Judith Eva Barsi beat 10,000 to 1 odds when she was discovered at a San Fernando Valley skating rink at 5 1/2 years old in 1983. She was mistaken for a three year old child. Her first commercial was for Donald Duck Orange Juice and she went on to appear in anywhere between 50-100 commercials, several episodes of various TV series and 3 major motion pictures. Her mother, Maria, was the main thrust of her career as a Hollywood starlet, but also took great pains in trying to give her a normal, happy childhood, bringing her Hungarian meals like duck to school for her lunch everyday. Her happy childhood did not last long, however. Beginning in 1985, Jozsef would often be home drunk rather than working his job as a plumber and he refused to let Maria work. The family was put on welfare for a brief period of time as a result, until Judith's career started taking off in 1986 and 1987. By the time she entered fourth grade, she was pulling in an estimated $100,000 a year and the income bought them a nice four bedroom house on a quiet street in West Hill. As her career soared, her father became an increasingly abusive recluse and threatened to kill his wife and daughter hundreds of times. In a mood of stress, Judith plucked out her eyebrows, eyelashes, her cats' whiskers and bit her nails. CPS was called in numerous times, but as Maria was reluctant to press any charges and as a lot of the reports/accounts were emotional and not physical abuse, the case was never followed up on.

On Wednesday, July 27th, Eunice Daly, a next door neighbor, heard a loud bang next door while watering her plants; the house had been set afire and later, the bodies of the Barsis were discovered shot dead. All of Judith's toys that were not destroyed by the fire were given to the local goodwill and her best friend continued to feed her cats for months afterward.

 

[Tino]

I thought she was great as the voice of Ducky in The Land Before Time.

 

[CaesarJ2]

Yes we do exist who consider Jaws 2 better than Jaws. I´m one of them. Surely we are very few.

Probably I sound like a man of bad taste, I´ve heard it all, but hey, Jaws 2 is my fav movie, and I´ve got my reasons.

I rank Jaws 9.95 out of 10 anyway. An outstanding film.


So, we are not ghosts!

 

[Tino]

Just curious. What are your reasons? In my opinion Jaws is a 10 while Jaws 2 is about a 7.5

 

[CaesarJ2]

I have plenty of reasons.

I saw Jaws 2 on cinema being 8 years old and got mesmerized. To me the film is real.

And couldn´t see Jaws until 1991, on tv, I live in Spain.

Comparing, as like as Peter Benchley himself, I hate Jaws ending... compressed air can´t explode, but most of all the baloon is on the shark´s mouth for minutes.

Scheider is stronger on 2.

The water scenes are amazing on the sequel. Look better and scarier to me.

Never understood why the US audience hate the teens so much, they act strong, they convince.

In standard terms Jaws can be considered better, but when you know the facts, I mean, how many things Szwarc couldn´t do due to PG, deadlines etc. etc. Jaws 2 emerges as superior to me.

I could write a book on this, but just to make it short, to make a sequel of just a masterpiece as Jaws and do such a terribly entertaining fIlm with so little in comparison (cast, gory scenes, so many problems) is a 10/10 for me.

And Spielberg did some talking scenes that doesn´t match the superb film he arranged.

 

[Tino]

So your first viewing of Jaws was on a small tv screen in pan and scan.

Heartbreaking. [emoji6]

 

[TravisR]

So your first viewing of Jaws was on a small tv screen in pan and scan.

Heartbreaking. [emoji6]

I'm of the age that that's how I first saw it too. I got the laserdisc when I was in high school and it was a revelation for my Jaws-loving ass.

 

[Oliver Ravencrest]

I got to see Jaws on the big screen when it was re-released in theatres in 1979. I saw Jaws 2 first, the year before.

 

[TravisR]

I got to see Jaws on the big screen when it was re-released in theatres in 1979. I saw Jaws 2 first, the year before.

I've seen Jaws in the theater probably almost 10 times throughout the years now (impressive since I was born after it came out and I live in suburban Pennsylvania) but I have never seen Jaws 2 in theaters.