PopHorror Let's Get Scared
There is absolutely no question that Jaws is one of the most impactful films of all time, a cultural and global phenomenon of epic proportions. It holds a deeply special place in my heart, being the very first horror film I ever saw, starting me on this lifelong addiction with all things spooky and scary. With its monumental success both domestically and globally, spawning sequels to the film was inevitable, so it was no surprise that, on June 16th of 1978, Jaws 2 was released to the masses, it’s now infamous and unforgettable tagline, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” leading the charge.
Creating a worthy successor to the original would prove more daunting than anyone would have ever expected. Naturally, Universal Studios wanted Steven Spielberg to direct the sequel, an offer he flat out rejected. He was quoted telling the San Francisco Film Festival in 1975: “Making a sequel to anything is just a cheap carny trick.” Spielberg did briefly reconsider taking the helm when initial director John D. Hancock was fired after only about a month into production, but being under contractual obligations to helm Close Encounters of the Third Kind made this impossible. Hancock was ultimately replaced by Jeannot Szwarc, best known for directing 1975’s Bug, as well as some work on television’s Night Gallery.
Director drama wouldn’t be the only issue for Jaws 2. Returning star Roy Scheider was extremely reluctant to reprise his role as Chief Martin Brody, but eventually agreed to do so to get out of his 3-picture deal with Universal. He pledged to do the best job that he could, but there was a great deal of on-set tension between Scheider and director Szwarc. Additionally, production was constantly plagued with problems and setbacks. Shooting on the water always proves challenging, as Mother Nature isn’t terribly concerned with film schedules. Also, much like the first film, the mechanical sharks were still highly unreliable, frequently malfunctioning. In total, the film took around 6 months to shoot, starting mid-June of 1977 and wrapping principal photography just 3 days before Christmas, ultimately costing $30 million to produce, over three times the cost of the original, and the most expensive film that Universal had backed up to that point.
Despite all its setbacks and issues, Jaws 2 was released on June 16th, 1978, to a hugely successful opening weekend, grossing around $9,866,023 in the US and Canada. Equally impressive, it managed such huge numbers competing with Grease, which opened on the same weekend, and brought in $9 million itself, quite the theatrical one-two punch. Although earning less than half its predecessor, Jaws 2 still went on to do impressive numbers, becoming one of the highest grossing sequels of its time.
The film has received mixed reviews over the years. Trying to follow up Spielberg’s colossal original would be a near impossible feat, but Jaws 2 proved to be a more than worthy successor in my opinion, unlike the dreadful Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge, which I find completely unwatchable. I personally enjoy Jaws 2 quite a bit, and I think it’s a very strong sequel. The story is compelling, the visuals are solid, and the film score was handled deftly once again by master composer John Williams. My only major complaint is that I believe they show the shark a little too much. The strength of the original was the implied danger, leaving much to the imagination, which is almost always more scary than what we actually see. In the first film, we barely saw the shark until nearly two thirds of the way in, whereas Jaws 2 rarely hesitates to put the monster fish on full display, kicking subtlety right out the window. But all in all, I still think it’s one of the stronger sequels out there, one totally worthy of revisiting frequently. Even after 40 years, Jaws 2 still manages to sink its teeth in deep.
