Jaws II (1978)

Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Starring: Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton

Synopsis:
Amity is once again threatened by a killer shark, but Chief Brody—dismissed as a paranoiac—faces an uphill battle to combat the problem.

Impressions:
I suppose I can't blame Universal for trying see if lightning would strike twice. Jaws was such a big hit that a sequel seemed pretty natural, even if it was during a time when sequels were generally frowned upon. Well, this definitely is a step down. Basically, if Jaws was more like what you'd expect a killer shark movie to be, you'd have Jaws II. A lot of the cast from the first movie returns, but Brody is far more isolated without someone like Hooper to back him up. It feels pretty lonely, but I guess that's part of the point. In an effort to provide escalation, things can get pretty silly. It's not a terrible movie, but it's massively dwarfed by its predecessor. Even John Williams delivers a less enthusiastic performance. If you're curious, you may want to give it a try, but you won't miss much by skipping it.

Rating:
50/50