Jaws 2
1978  PG  HORROR  1h 56min
CAST— Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
MUSIC— John Williams  DIRECTOR— Jeannot Szwarc

     Silly sequel that is fairly forgettable compared to its predecessor. Roy Scheider returns as Amity's police chief, again sounding the alarm after mysterious deaths of townsfolk reminds him of events a few years prior. When a dead orca washes ashore, clearly having been gnawed upon by something big and fierce, Scheider again takes the matter to town officials. But the mayor and his flunkies are more concerned with selling beachfront properties to outsiders than in the safety of their own neighbors, so things are once more swept under the rug. To top things off Scheider is officially relieved of his duties as chief. But before he can even think about updating his résumé he must attempt to rescue a group of teenagers, including his two sons, who've taken an ill-advised sailing trip they're not soon to forget. The next thing you know boats are wrecked, kids are screaming and the shark is eating people. If Scheider is to save the huddled teens he must again take out a killer shark in a memorable fashion. This is a film that tries to outdo the original but ends up looking ridiculous, not to mention that practically every element herein is derivative of the first entry, from Scheider's warnings ignored by money-hungry civic leaders to the single-mindedness of the totally unrealistic shark. Even John Williams' music score proves to be uninspired and generic, not retaining the suspenseful oomph delivered last time and being blandly simplistic during pointless scenes depicting beach-goers and sail boats. Even the added attraction of seeing a great white unconvincingly take out a helicopter is small compensation for this scrambled rehash with cheese.
OUR RATING— **
PRECEDED BY— Jaws (1975)
FOLLOWED BY— Jaws 3-D (1983), Jaws: The Revenge (1987)