Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws is considered the first summer blockbuster. A film that everybody and their dog went to see and raked in an obscene amount of money. With a shower of green in their eyes, Hollywood immediately cordoned onto this and thus the never-ending pleasure/ailment (depending on you lean) of sequel-itus was born. Spielberg, visionary that he was, refused the offer to do a follow. The production of Jaws had been so notoriously difficult that no sized truck full of money could entice him back. But producers Zanuck and Brown wasted no time in getting that follow up going.

1978 would see a return to Amity that seemed to be a magnet for Great Whites. Another had taken up residence off its idyllic shores and started chomping down on the young and carefree teens on summer vacation. This one would centre on Chief Brody’s (a very reluctant Roy Scheider, who only returned to avoid a lawsuit) two boys and their teen friends. When a Killer Whale’s corpse is discovered on the beach with a giant bite taken out of it, Brody immediately goes to Defcon 1, banning his older boy, Michael (Mark Gruner) from going sailing with his chums. Of course, Michael ignores his father (who is preoccupied with AGAIN trying to convince the local leaders they have a problem) and sails off into the blue yonder. Of course, it takes no time at all for the giant shark to start picking them off, destroying their tiny vessels and trapping them on a makeshift island of catamaran/dingy wreckages. When a fired Sherriff Brody discovers both his sons are missing, he commandeers the Amity Police boat and speeds off to save the day.

Die Hard’s John McClane had the wherewithal to at least ask in its sequel “How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?.”  Jaws 2 just glosses over that completely and delivers literally lambs to the slaughter. Now, I don’t mind this movie, my heavy sarcasm might suggest otherwise. As far as sequels go, especially the enormous pile of unnecessary ones, this entertains… unlike the other Jaws sequels that followed. But it requires you to disengage your brain, allow for some seriously ropey character motivations and just enjoy the ride. The original had a story arc, character motivations and the juxtaposition of personality conflict against mortal jeopardy. It made the film compelling. Jaws 2 has one note characters, more there for death count numbers than relatability.

The performances range from serviceable to hyperbolic to downright bored (in the case of Scheider). The pacing and set pieces are equally all over the place, with some spectacular shots being undermined by editing in some cases and being rousing in others. I really like the shark dorsal POV shots as he looms in for a meal. John Williams returns to score the film and almost everything that man has done is golden—this is no different.

In the ocean of unnecessary sequels, Jaws 2 rates as flawed, unnecessary, but completely entertaining. Compared to the two trainwreck sequels that followed, it is a masterpiece. A back-handed compliment this is, but I stand by it.

45th Anniversary Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital 4K

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios
Available on Blu-ray - July 4, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH; French; German; Italian; Japanese; Spanish; Danish; Finnish; Norwegian; Swedish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; French: DTS 2.0 Mono; Spanish: DTS 2.0 Mono; Spanish: DTS 2.0 Mono; Japanese: DTS 2.0; German: DTS 2.0; Italian: DTS 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

VIDEO

Yeah, this is a great uptick from 1080p to 2160p. Fine detail and consistent grain is heightened in every shot. Colour timing is, for the most part, faithful, giving HDR10 bumps to the ocean and the skies impressively. Contrast and dimensionality through the film is noticeably better than previous releases. This is a stellar looking transfer. Could not ask for more.

AUDIO

Meh. While era purists don’t like ATMOS level mixes on older movies, I wanted a rollercoaster mix to accompany and rollercoaster movie that looks so bloody good! Instead, Universal had copy and pasted the toothless DTS-HD lossless 2.0 stereo mix. Lacking in clarity, heft, and any sense of immersion, this lacklustre mix is only saved but William’s score and good centred dialogue that is rarely overshadowed. 2.0 on a 2160p disc with 100gb of storage is cheap and nasty.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None
• Special Features:
• Deleted Scenes
• The Making of Jaws 2
• Jaws 2: A Portrait by Actor Keith Gordon
• John Wiliams: The Music of Jaws 2
• The "French" Joke
• Storyboards
• Theatrical Trailers

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime: 116 mins
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Writer: Peter Benchley; Carl Gottlieb; Howard Sackler
Cast: Roy Scheider; Lorraine Gary; Murray Hamilton
Genre: Horror | Thriller
Tagline: This Christmas there will be... Misery.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water"
Theatrical Distributor: Universal  Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: June 16, 1978
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 4, 2023.
Synopsis: Four years after the great white shark terrorized the small resort of Amity, unsuspecting vacationers begin disappearing in an all-too-familiar fashion. Police Chief Brody (Scheider) finds himself in a race against time when a new shark attacks ten sailboats manned by teenagers, including his own two sons.