Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Year: 1978
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Sharks
Plot:
As Amity prepares to open a new resort complex, a series of boating accidents in the local waters prompts suspicion another shark is in the area, and when it's confirmed the local police chief mounts a rescue attempt on a group of teens trapped by the creature.
Reviews:
There is actually a lot to like in this one. One of the best features here is that the shark is featured prominently and gets a chance to show off how great it looks due to the enhanced screen time. It's more believable and there's some really good suspense from its deformed and scarred face as the burn marks go the extra mile giving this beast a little more menace to it. Since it really looks more demonic being as mangled as this is and with the personality demonstrated, it makes for a more effective threat. There are a couple of great early attacks, starting with the divers being ambushed while discovering the shipwreck and a later scene where the fin surfaces behind an oblivious water skier and trails them underwater.
All of these attacks lead to the film's one truly imaginative scene, the debacle at the beach when what he thinks is the shark turns out to be nothing more threatening than a school of bluefish. The suspense apparent at the beginning is obvious, as the approaching figure does vaguely look like a shark at the spot from which it's spotted, and the ending resolution is a nice twist. The film's main feat is the sailboat massacre which is a long, drawn-out affair that really serves for quite a great time. from the moment the fin breaks the surface causing general pandemonium to the continued assaults and breakthroughs of the defense barriers that follow, this sequence never stops. Throwing in the fear of devouring with a couple of really well-done stalk-and-bite scenes that really hold up quite well and a few clever touches in their struggles helps this out. The helicopter downing is handled nicely, having an obstacle thrown at them that hammers home the hopelessness of the situation really clearly. The method for dispatching the creature isn't new, but it's nicely handled and really gets some suspense going, especially the shot of the massive creature bearing down on it. All in all, this wasn't all that terrible for a sequel.
There really isn't a lot here that this doesn't do right, and most of that is the fact that the film feels too padded out at times. It takes forever to get to the assault on the sailboats, and the wait to get there is filled with certain scenes that really don't need to be as long as they are. One of the most annoying things, though, about this film is the repetition of the we-can't-close-the-beaches plot thread from the original. This attitude is inane for anyone who lived through Amity's previous nightmare summer, and even more so in a man whose son spends all of his free time out on the water. The repetition of this useless and really irritating subplot really takes most of the film's energy from it, but beyond these, the film isn't that bad.
Overview: ****/5
Not as good as the first one but actually really decent on its own merits, there's enough going on here to be worthwhile and enjoyable if not taking into account what it's following. That does lower it slightly just as a fall-off from the heights of the original but most fans of the first one, those who enjoy this period of nature-run-amok genre fare or appreciate the genre overall will still like this quite a bit.
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