It is more than fair to say that Steven Spielberg and co caught lightning in a bottle with Jaws. That original movie was a monster hit and I remember as a kid my grandfather being very excited for me to watch it and of course, I loved it. I have fun with most of the Jaws movies and while all of the sequels are certainly inferior to the original, I think in all fairness, Jaws 2 is not a bad sequel.
How to Download Jaws 2
Jaws 2 was released on June 16, 1978. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
Jaws 2 Movie Review: A Worthy Follow-Up
There was no way that it could live up to that original movie, but it is still a fun shark movie. It was awesome that they managed to get some of the cast back so once again we have, Roy Scheider as Chief Brody, Murray Hamilton as the worst mayor in the history of mayors, and Lorraine Gray as Ellen Brody. This even without Spielberg being behind the camera gives the movie an air of authenticity and familiarity to those who loved the first movie.
Once again, the movie takes place in the seaside town of Amity Island and there have been a few strange disappearances and Chief Brody is worried that there is another shark causing trouble. Of course, the great Mayor Vaugn wants nothing to do with this as this is a hot tourist spot…. Did he learn nothing from what happened before??? A huge whale carcass and the remains of one of the shark’s rampages show up.
Of course, more dead bodies start to show up and no one believes Brody that a shark could once again be responsible. Brody’s kids, Mike and Sean end up going out on a boat even though they were told not to and end up in trouble with the shark and Brody needs to save the day. I have to be honest, Mike and the other kids that go out on the boat are grade-A dumbasses and they are all pretty much responsible for the blood that was spilled during their ill-fated boat joyride!
Final Thoughts on Jaws 2
This is a damn fine shark movie. It is not a great shark movie and it lacks the wow factor and I would even say tension that the first Jaws had, but it is still a fun time. This had near impossible expectations to live up to, but I always have a good time when I watch this. I find the Jaws movies to be the kind of movies where whenever I watch the first one, I always have to watch the rest of the series.
I think that they did as good a job as they could with Jaws II and I bet at the time it was released, it was way better than people thought it would be. Unfortunately, Jaws would just go from bad to worse as Jaws 3D and Jaws the Revenge are not that great. Not even in comparison to the original Jaws, but even Jaws II here. Although to be honest with you, I have always had a soft spot for Jaws 3D.
