We’re back in the water for Jaws 2
Spielberg didn’t want to do it. Scheider and Dreyfuss didn’t want to do it. Even producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown didn’t want to do it. But Universal Studios did as they knew it would be a big moneymaker like the first film. So Zanuck and Brown agreed to produce Jaws 2, the sequel to Spielberg’s classic that opened the doors for the summer blockbusters. Spielberg and Dreyfuss didn’t end up involved, but Scheider returrned reluctantly to play Brody. Is it a terrible film? No. Is it as good as the first? No. Is it worth talking about? Absolutely. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we cover the Jaws franchise, after discussing the first film back in our Richard D. Zanuck series, with Jeannot Szwarc’s 1978 film Jaws 2.
Here’s a hint at what we talk about.
Szwarc ain’t no Spielberg, that’s for sure. But that doesn’t mean this film out-and-out turned into a terrible film or a parody of the first film. It just feels more like what sequels ended up being for a long time. A similar-in-tone cash grab. We still have enough fun with it.
But Szwarc doesn’t have a handle on directing attack sequences, and the script never feels up to par. We talk about the decision to focus so heavily on the teens this time. Does that work for us? And why couldn’t they have developed Brody and his wife a bit more? It doesn’t feel like they leveled it up much. We also struggle with how often they choose to show the shark in this film.
It’s a bit of a mess, but Jaws 2 does well enough to keep us entertained. Check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
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