Jaws 2 is better than every other shark movie save one (and you know which one that is)

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Jaws 2 emerges from the depths, ready to remind us that even sequels can still have teeth. While it may not have the same razor-sharp edge as its predecessor, this follow-up still has more than enough bite to leave other shark movies in its wake.

When a series of maritime mishaps threaten to mar the opening of a brand-new Amity Island resort, Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) fears that history is about to repeat itself. As his warnings go unheeded, he once again faces off against the town selectmen’s unwillingness to confront the truth. Before long, though, a group of teens – including Brody’s own sons – find themselves at the mercy of the monstrous shark and Brody may be the only man who can save them.

Knowing that he can’t pull the same suspense trick twice, director Jeannot Szwarc doesn’t try so hard to hide the shark this time around and with an opening that sees a group of unlucky divers exploring the wreck of the Orca from the first movie fall foul of the new shark on the block and sets us on our way. Szwarc balances the slow burn mystery of the shark’s presence with a series of ambitious and impressive action sequences. Succeeding Spielberg is no easy task and the inevitable comparisons do the director of Jaws 2 a great disservice because on its own merits, it’s a marvellously shot film. Szwarc seeks out every opportunity to give us unique points of view, with the water-skiing sequence a particular standout and once again, John Williams’ score elevates all the visuals.

Roy Scheider’s return might be due to a contractual obligation and his initial relationship with Szwarc a reputedly rocky one but none of that shows up on screen and he delivers a grounded and relatable intensity to Brody, maintaining the character’s everyman appeal while lending the fantastical events credibility. His frustration with the town’s bureaucratic ignorance adds a layer of slightly repetitive realism, but those who embrace the pro-voting meme of “the mayor in Jaws is still the mayor in Jaws 2” are sleeping on a fantastically nuanced performance from Murray Hamilton, who plays the once bombastic Larry Vaughan as a man haunted by guilt and contrition, culminating in an incredibly powerful moment during the vote to fire Chief Brody even as the evidence of another shark is piling the bodies high. Lorraine Gary’s Ellen Brody, although given more screen time, remains underdeveloped—a missed opportunity for deeper character exploration, so it’s a good job she gets an entire movie of her own to right that wrong. Right? The cast of teenagers, led by Brody’s own kids provide a decent array of character support, yet the movie does feel the loss of the character dynamics of the original trio of Brody, Hooper, and Quint.

The Screenplay, written by Carl Gottlieb, who wrote the first movie, and Howard Sackler is well-crafted, neatly stacking up items and events so that whatever else you might want to say about the film, there’s a tautness to the writing that helps bolster the familiar elements and keeps them fresh.

The special effects hold up surprisingly well for a film from the late 70s. The animatronic shark, though less mobile than modern CGI creatures, retains a tangible menace that contemporary effects sometimes lack. It may be a little ponderous, but it fundamentally exists in that space, it has weight and presence and Szwarc’s strategic use of camera angles helps maximise its menace while high-angle shots play on the primal fear of deep water, making the shark’s presence felt even when it isn’t on screen. Some scenes, like the shark pulling down a helicopter, stretch believability, but never past the breaking point and adds to the film’s more action-oriented approach.

Jaws 2 might be perpetually condemned to live in the shadow of its legendary predecessor, but comparing it to Spielberg’s groundbreaking original is unfair. While it might not achieve the same degree of suspense and character development, it still does a decent job of both and certainly fares better than the subsequent sequels, Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge which replaced filmmaking craft with gimmicks and absurdity respectively. The cast and crew of Jaws 2 delivered an action-packed thrill-ride that, taken on its own merits, is a classic in its own right and made sure that it would never be safe to go back in the water again.