Jaws 2 (1978) (1 Viewer)

[Oliver Ravencrest]

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.

With movies being released on home video, I only see new releases in the Theatre. I would love to see classic movies on the big screen but don't because I already own them. Also, those Fathom Event showings are only on days that i can't go, busy those days.

 

[TonyD]

I was ten when I saw Jaws at a theater at the Jersey shore in Wildwood.

Was a fun summer after that. Took a bit before I went back in the water.

 

[Tino]

I was 12 when I saw it in Jersey too. It was a legitimate phenomenon.

 

[Alf S]

I was ten when I saw Jaws at a theater at the Jersey shore in Wildwood.

Was a fun summer after that. Took a bit before I went back in the water.

I was about same age when my dad to us to see it while on vacation in,...Hawaii. Mind you we lived in Alaska at the time so it was our first encounter with the ocean/beaches etc, so yeah, it was a heck of an introduction. Oh and my little sister lost a tooth during the show so we also had our own bloody mess off screen as well.

 

[CaesarJ2]

Good point Tino.

Yes a simple tv could never handle the amazing look of Jaws in its entire glory.

But Jaws 2 on theatre was immense, astonishing.

It is a far better movie than people use to say.

And Jaws has its weaker points too.

 

[Tino]

IMO Jaws has exactly ZERO weak points. It is a perfect film.

 

[Steve Christou]

And there are people who prefer Star Trek Into Darkness to Star Trek (2009) and there is NOTHING wrong with that.

For a while back in the 70s Jaws was my favorite movie, saw it many times at the cinema, it opened December 1975 here in the UK, I still have the ticket sellotaped in my diary, ditto Star Wars ( late 1977).

Jaws 2 was a fun sequel. Jaws 3 and 4 were pretty bad, watched them both recently and 3 was much worse than I remember.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I saw Jaws 2 for the first time earlier this year, and after hearing for ages how bad the sequels were and how I should never waste my time on them, I was pleasantly surprised. I always enjoy seeing Roy Schieder onscreen, and he's great. I liked the varying reactions of returning characters to the previous movie's events, how some wanted to move on as if it never happened, and how Schieder couldn't move on as easily - it felt true to life.

Jaws 3 is probably the weakest in my view, but the 3D made it a lot of fun for me. And Jaws: The Revenge is probably objectively terrible, and yet, I had a blast watching it. Michael Caine was a hoot.

 

[Oliver Ravencrest]

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who likes Revenge more than 3, even if slightly.

Out of all the deaths in 2, I like Eddie's the most. I still cringe when he hits the boat! RIP Gary Dubin (1959-2016)

 

[CaesarJ2]

"I liked the varying reactions of returning characters to the previous movie's events, how some wanted to move on as if it never happened, and how Schieder couldn't move on as easily - it felt true to life."

Couldn´t have said it better, thanks Josh

And about weak moments in Jaws, the one I mentioned which led to Benchley´s departure is a big one.

 

[CaesarJ2]

The beach scene in J2, with Scheider shooting to fish and after collecting the bullets with his son, full of shame, is a magnificient forgotten one...

...while the beach scene in Jaws with the killed boy, being amazing too, was directed by Joe Alves, something that not everyone knows.

 

[Tino]

The beach scene in J2, with Scheider shooting to fish and after collecting the bullets with his son, full of shame, is a magnificient forgotten one...

...while the beach scene in Jaws with the killed boy, being amazing too, was directed by Joe Alves, something that not everyone knows.

I find that hard to believe. You have a link confirming that?? I've never heard that. The scene that Spielberg didn't direct was the shark blowing up...and that was to avoid being thrown into the water by the crew celebrating the final shot.

 

[CaesarJ2]

My pleasure: http://ihorror.com/rare-image-from-jaws-production-is-pure-nightmare-fuel/

You can find it on the Jaws 2 2015 book, told by Alves himself. He directed the whole scene, although they cut the gory stuff.

Sorry if it´s an ugly surprise

 

[Tino]

The original scene of Alex Kintner's death called for a doll of Alex to be floating among the bathers, then the shark would jump out of the water and grab the doll and raft in its mouth. But as was typical of the mechanical shark, it didn't function properly. It would either come out of the water too high, not high enough or totally miss the raft. Finally, the shark succeeded in grabbing the raft, and in doing so, rolled over on its side, much like a real shark would do. This is the take Spielberg decided to use. However, the producers were concerned that the image of the shark with Alex in its mouth was too disturbing and might jeopardize the film's PG rating. Therefore, Spielberg and editor Verna Fields trimmed the beginning of the shot so only the shark's fins are briefly seen as it flips over.

 

[Tino]

My pleasure: http://ihorror.com/rare-image-from-jaws-production-is-pure-nightmare-fuel/

You can find it on the Jaws 2 2015 book, told by Alves himself. He directed the whole scene, although they cut the gory stuff.

Sorry if it´s an ugly surprise

Sorry but that hardly proof. All that article says it that Alves shot some second unit footage that was not used. Big difference.

All the scenes in Jaws except the shark blowing up were filmed by Spielberg.

From the article;

"As relayed in the feature-length documentary The Shark is Still Working, found on the Jaws Blu-ray, a dummy was created to double for young actor Jeffrey Voorhees, and the mechanical shark was originally going to rise from the depths, in full view, and gobble the boy up. The scene was shot by second-unit director Joe Alves, as production on the film was near completion and Steven Spielberg had by that point in time departed Martha’s Vineyard, though it was ultimately left on the cutting room floor. - See more at: http://ihorror.com/rare-image-from-jaws-production-is-pure-nightmare-fuel/#sthash.bu7iX51I.dpuf

 

[Tino]

And also Benchley didn't leave Jaws because he was never really part of it other than a cameo.

He was indeed upset with the ending but here is how Spielberg explains it.

Peter Benchley was not happy with Steven Spielberg's ending where the shark is killed when a compressed air tank explodes in its mouth, claiming it was unrealistic. Spielberg defended himself by saying he will have held his audiences' attention for two hours and they would believe anything in the end no matter how unrealistic or unbelievable the ending really was. Spielberg even thought of an ending where after the shark is blown up, Brody would look up to see several shark fins.

 

[TravisR]

All that article says it that Alves shot some second unit footage that was not used.

I think it's fair to assume that Joe Alves directed the shot from the beach that is used in the movie where you see Alex struggling out of the water with the blood shooting up. Like you said though, that's normal second unit stuff. It's not like Spielberg didn't come to work on the days that they were shooting the scenes on that beach.

 

[Tino]

I think it's fair to assume that Joe Alves directed the shot from the beach that is used in the movie where you see Alex struggling out of the water with the blood shooting up. Like you said though, that's normal second unit stuff. It's not like Spielberg didn't come to work on the days that they were shooting the scenes on that beach.

I agree.

But saying that the entire beach scene was directed by Alves is untrue.

 

[trevanian]

IMO Jaws has exactly ZERO weak points. It is a perfect film.

I love JJAWS more than just about anyone I know, but it does have some annoying continuity issues (total mismatch when Quint fires on the shark, for one that is so 'off' you can't force yourself to miss it.)

That it transcends them is to its credit, but that's still a weak point.

EDIT ADDON: I went on the Universal tour a few months before JAWS 2 came out, and tour guide gave us a piece of over-the-top BS about what to expect, saying that the shark in the new movie would jump up out of the water and pull a passing copter from the air. When I saw it in the theater, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get that, and instead the Gary Kurtz-looking pilot is actually landed on the water when he gets pulled over, but I'm sure they couldn't have pulled it off anyway.

 

[trevanian]

Sorry but that hardly proof. All that article says it that Alves shot some second unit footage that was not used. Big difference.

All the scenes in Jaws except the shark blowing up were filmed by Spielberg.

From the article;

"As relayed in the feature-length documentary The Shark is Still Working, found on the Jaws Blu-ray, a dummy was created to double for young actor Jeffrey Voorhees, and the mechanical shark was originally going to rise from the depths, in full view, and gobble the boy up. The scene was shot by second-unit director Joe Alves, as production on the film was near completion and Steven Spielberg had by that point in time departed Martha’s Vineyard, though it was ultimately left on the cutting room floor. - See more at: http://ihorror.com/rare-image-from-jaws-production-is-pure-nightmare-fuel/#sthash.bu7iX51I.dpuf

You're saying Spielberg was there for the 2nd unit stuff with real sharks? I hadn't ever heard that.

The Alves thing sounds like a real trouble stirrer upper, like the Saul Bass claim to have shot the PSYCHO shower scene.