Jaws 2

Written as a frightening treatise on small town behavior, Stephen King's novel `Salem's Lot contains a passage which amply illustrates the baseline of a horror film. When Mark Petrie (the film-savvy young protagonist) is asked by his parents if he realizes the implications associated with death, he takes a moment to gaze at the various movie models found in his room: Dracula crouching over a victim, the Mad Doctor torturing a woman on the rack, and Mr. Hyde stalking an old man. Mark's eventual reply is a Stephen King classic. “Understand death? Sure. That's when the monsters get you.”

If the original Jaws stands as a perfect visual representation of that statement, then Jaws 2 shouldn't be considered merely a successful sequel, but as a true cinema doppelganger of its legendary predecessor. The galvanizing Jaws 2 is a supremely crafted thriller that can truly hold its own against the original.

The story unfolds five years after the first Jaws struck the quiet island community of Amity. Cleverly opening with the discovery of the sunken “Orca” by divers, the presence of a second Great White shark is memorably established… and subsequently recorded by an underwater camera. The payoff comes late in the second act when those pictures are developed, showing a haunting image of the massive ocean predator preparing its fatal strike.

From there, the shark set pieces in Jaws 2 come fast and furious. From the demise of an unfortunate water skier to the surprise attack on an unlucky helicopter pilot, the mechanical creature effects that populate the film have yet to be topped, even by the advent of digital tinkering.

Although Roy Scheider called his involvement in Jaws 2 “…nothing but a contractual obligation”, his performance as Chief Martin Brody is actually superior to the original. Brody's angry confrontation with city hall and subsequent firing is the culmination of the character's two-film story arc, and Scheider really delivers in these moments. As Brody quietly (and drunkenly) laments to his wife in these scenes, the character is never more real.

But above and beyond the immeasurable contribution from Roy Scheider, the biggest star in Jaws 2 is actually composer John Williams. His infamous shark theme returns, but the score itself is considerably broader in scope than the original. From the ominous melody contained in “Ballet for Divers”, to the expansive beauty explored in “The Open Sea”, John Williams fashioned an incredible score that remains one of his most effective works to date.

But given all the elaborate showstoppers which populate the film, the most haunting moment in Jaws 2 comes after young Sean Brody witnesses a girl being swallowed whole. The terror in his eyes echoes the words of another young protagonist: “Death is when the monsters get you.”

-- Yim Kip

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Getting Old by Chris RATING: * It sucked. Who cares. I've seen this movie before It's called Jaws. It's loud, the characters are abnoxious. Whenever it's on TV I wish that screaming, annoying chick would get munched A.S.A.P. and put me out of my misery. Who cares if Amity Islanders are getting eaten? I certainly do not.	Don't Waste Your Time
Let Polly Do The Printing by Mike RATING: ** Not as good as the first Jaws but lets be honest what is. I thought it was a great sequal and had some excellent scenes.	Not to shabby

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