Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17527 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-04-06
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Judged entirely on its own merits, Jaws 2 isn't a bad film. It even has some passably scary moments (Brody discovering a charred body in the waves; the swimming boy racing the shark back to his dinghy). But it's absolutely impossible to judge this movie on its own merits. Despite being given a great big Panavision camera to play with director Jeannot Szwarc can't hide his TV-movie origins, nor can the script, both of which spend far too long landlocked with the bickering inhabitants of Amity Island. Where the original film boldly set out to sea with Robert Shaw's Ahab-like Quint, in a misplaced desire to attract a teenage audience this movie dwells at interminable length on the courting rituals of the local youth; where Spielberg's original is a masterpiece of pacing and carefully timed tension-building, Jaws 2 sags terribly whenever the plastic shark swims out of sight. Roy Scheider comes off best, reprising his role as Chief Brody, while Lorraine Gary's role as his wife is expanded (she must be a glutton for punishment: she also starred in Jaws 4: The Revenge). Taken as a sequel Jaws 2 is inferior in every way; taken as an unassuming TV movie it's a respectable, workmanlike effort; but looking forward at what was to follow, it begins to look like a minor masterpiece. --Mark Walker

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
Amity police chief Brody discovers that there's more than one fish in the sea--the great white shark he destroyed in the first film has a hungry mate ready to wreak havoc on the community. This action-packed sequel features the welcome return of Roy Scheider and Lorraine Gary reprising their roles from the original blockbuster that did for ocean beaches what PSYCHO did for showers.

Customer Reviews

OK - Seen Better
The problem with this sequel is the fact that JAWS is probably one of the best films ever made. Putting that aside, this sequel doesn't do too bad. I only gave it three stars - I took one off because it shows the shark way too much, and subsequently takes the suspense out of the film. I took another point off, simply because the film just isn't as good as the first one. But then again, Steven Spielberg directed the first one, and didn't do any of the other ones, and it shows. All in all, this film IS watchable, and I would recommend it if you haven't seen it before, but it's not a classic. The 3rd and 4th ones are a joke, but this isn't bad, when being compared to them.

Quick Reviews!
Without Spielberg and certain members of the original cast, this sequel to the seventies smash was never going to come close to being as good as its daddy. It has its moments though with a good amount of scares, humour and fair performances. As sequels to masterpieces go, it's not bad.

Jaws 2 takes place in the same resort town Amity a few years after the original, with Sheriff Brody trying to lead a safe, peaceful life with his family. However, a few recent deaths cause suspicion in his mind, and he finds the half-devoured corpse of a killer-whale he believes another Great White is attacking in the area. Naturally no-one believes him, thinking he has grown paranoid over past incidents. The money grabbing mayor is trying to make the town popular again and will not listen. A sailing event is taking place soon, and although Brody warns his kids to stay out of the water, they disobey him and go with their friends in various tiny boats an catamarans. Brody is fired for scaring tourists, and he goes looking for his kids. Meanwhile the shark attacks the many boats, killing some, and soon each person is struggling for their life on pieces of driftwood.

Jaws 2 is a film which takes a deeper look at Brody's family life, as well as the Mayor's, dealing with similar issues to the first. However, the action and death count is increased, but unlike most sequels this does not cause it to suffer. There is a good amount of tension created, and we never know whose boat is going to be attacked next. Once the sizes of the boats and shark are compared, we know the kids have little hope. The mix of kids is good, with certain characters giving funny moments. Mostly the performances are good, particularly from Scheider, while most of the annoying characters are happily eaten. Memorable moments include the finale, the water-skier scene, and of course the helicopter scene. Much better than the next two, though I have a habit of marking high.

Unfortunately the DVD does not have any strong extras, so unless you are a massive fan of the film, you'll be better off getting this in the box set. Still, as a stand alone it's cheap.

Jaws - the return
A fairly decent film with some genuinely gripping action sequences. Had this not been a sequel then I feel it would have been much better received, but the crew were always going to suffer by being compared to the original. Some excellent suspense builders, notably the teenagers hanging out in the harbour and the desperate swim by Eddie for the safety of his dingy. As in the original,the soundtrack adds to the suspense. A worthy follow up.