Jaws: What The Original Got Right And The Sequels Got Wrong

Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece “JAWS” was a phenomenon and an incredible achievement. Not only did it create the Hollywood blockbuster as we know it, it also brought upon something very relevant to this day: the sequel.

JAWS was an outlier. Typically, the book is almost always better than the movie, but not this time. The movie owed a lot to Peter Benchley’s novel, as the characters and story were there, but it was Spielberg, his actors and his screenwriters (Gottlieb and Benchley himself) that made something good into something great, and truly special. Not to mention John Williams’ score and Verna Fields’ masterclass editing.

Jaws editor Verna Fields with director Steven Spielberg

The original film was lightning in a bottle. And once the film was released and the money started flying in, it was inevitable that Universal would want to cash in on the wild success of it all. And they cashed in in countless ways, including merchandise and three sequels - each sequel bringing diminishing returns in both quality and box-office success.

Jaws 2 was a decent film. It paled in comparison to the original, lacking the excellent characters and character development of its predecessor. It also lacked almost all of the suspense. JAWS 2 plays as an almost direct continuation to the original - which in the end harmed the film. There was no build up of suspense, there was no new character arcs, or really any new characters to care or root for. But in a paradoxical way to what I just said, it’s not even really a continuation of the original either - playing almost as a mixture of a reboot and a remake with a few original characters (confusing, I know).

JAWS 2 was created out of thin air for one purpose and one purpose only: cash in on the success of the original. There truly was no need for it to exist outside of making a boat (dare I say ORCA sized) load of money. It’s also the sequel that made Hollywood sequels a thing in the first place. After JAWS created the blockbuster film, concurrently and coincidentally, that led way to JAWS 2 creating what still reigns supreme in Hollywood to this day - either a sequel or reboot. Both cashing in on the success of the precursor film.

With JAWS 2, it felt as if the filmmakers figured all the build up of the original has already been done, so let’s just dive right in to the mayhem. Which to me, robbed the film of the intense suspense it should have had. I believe that suspense might have been better achieved with Hancock’s (the original director) darker and more psychological approach. It would have been more of a slow burn, but could have effectively paid off. But that’s a tale for another day, and the filmmaker that replaced the fired Hancock (after a month’s work), and also fired a lot of the teenage cast, was Jeannot Szwarc. And to his credit, he surprisingly kept the film afloat. He also did a more than serviceable job in a pinch.

But JAWS 2 was never going to be as effective as the first for many reasons. The first film was lightning in a bottle - and perhaps a film that shouldn’t have worked, but did so beautifully because of certain restraints being imposed on a specific, beguiling and magnificently malfunctioning shark. JAWS was beautifully cast, and has a story based on an intensely successful book with a story solidly set in place, led by arguably the world’s greatest living director in Spielberg (though we didn’t know that at the time), and more than that - characters we loved and cared about. The sequels had none of this besides an always game Scheider (even though he didn’t want a thing to do with the film), and a musical score by the legendary John Williams, whose music could make even the worst film better just by being in it. Unfortunately, like most sequels, they went away from less is more, and just pumped JAWS 2 with as much shark carnage (Bruce 2) as they could have with little, to NO story.

The shark in jaws 2 — The shark in Jaws 2 was named ‘Brucette’

JAWS had heart, and it had a very good story with characters that propelled the film. And outside of Scheider, there really aren’t many characters to root for or enjoy in JAWS 2. The fact Scheider and the director were at odds and came to physical blows - as he hated the production and direction of the film as a whole - kind of feeds into why this sequel doesn’t have the same bite as the original. Having said that, Scheider’s performance is what carries the film. Without him, it would have been a train wreck. He’s the one person we root for. And even at that, there’s not a lot to root for. And let’s be honest here - JAWS 2 is a slightly reassembled, slightly reconstructed JAWS. But done in a much less exciting and enjoyable fashion.

Szwarc is no Spielberg. It actually feels more like a TV production than a film. It retreads on all the plot points of the original, except it has kids trapped out on the water instead of the incredibly enjoyable main trio of adults from JAWS (that sometimes act like children), and just feels like a cheap imitation of the original without bringing anything new to the table. The shark itself was supposed to be revolutionary and improve on the perceived flaws of the original shark. Yet, to me, it doesn’t improve a thing. It’s a different shark, so it should look different. But, for my money, it doesn’t beat the original Bruce (but in all fairness, the fact that it couldn’t close its mouth [JAWS] due to mechanical damage didn’t help its look much). Which all adds up to making the film just feel “less” in every way.

But thank goodness for John Williams and his genius - because without his score I don’t even know if JAWS 2 would be seen in nearly the light it is seen in. And that light isn’t exactly dim, but it sure isn’t bright. What made JAWS so successful is that it hit on every level. It was more about the characters themselves.

Every sequel after was about shark mayhem, and the characters were merely an afterthought, or simply a means to an end until the next shark feeding. But none of that was more true than JAWS 3D (also known as JAWS 3). **It is important to note that any grievances that could be given about JAWS 2 are amplified, magnified, and quadrupled by its sequels.**

The classic 'gliding shark' from Jaws 3-D

When JAWS 3D came out, it was all about bringing a gimmick to the screen to attract audiences. JAWS 2 had great box-office, but it was disappointing compared to the original (which says a ton about the original). The second film was no slouch. It was actually a huge hit. But it showed that when you have a box-office outlier due to the fact that the film before it was a Herculean winner with critics, audiences and ticket sales alike - there’s usually no where to go but down. Following the film that made blockbuster hits possible, is a very steep hill to climb, and also one that is rarely ever replicated. So, instead of trying to make a film that is worthy as a follow-up, studios rig up cheap money grabs. And that is JAWS 3D in a nutshell. It felt like a theme park movie. One made not to be a piece of art, but more of an amusement park spectacle. And not in a good way. Although, I must admit it was better in its 3D version. When watching in 2D it just comes across as flat… and I don’t that as a pun for losing that added dimension. It is just so dull and uninspired. The acting was mediocre (for the most part).

The script was pretty bad. Dialogue laughable (not in a good way), and because they had to redo the 3D at the last minute, even that aspect was lackluster compared to what it could have been. But in all fairness the cheesiness of the 3D works in its favor 39 years later! It might not be spectacular art, but the 3D did pop, and it was fun in the worst way possible.

Sadly, yet ultimately, all the studio interference killed any good the film could have done. But at least it’s bad in a fun way. I truly believe Joe Alves (whom is a hero of mine born out of my love of the original, where his artistic finger prints touch all over it) and the rest of the crew did everything they could with the restraints upon them to make this a fun film. And I think it is that and more. It’s also a bad film that plays as more of a SeaWorld advertisement than anything else - and not a good one at that. But damn, it is so much fun. So I recommend it to everyone for a good, bad time! But let me be clear - it is NOT a good film. It’s a minor miracle I still somehow love it. But maybe that’s what’s being a JAWS fan is all about!

Then comes the finale of the series: JAWS the Revenge. And, well, how do I say this? I feel like the revenge was ultimately the price paid by the viewer for just having to sit through the film. I almost feel like Universal had contempt for their audience, because objectively, the fourth film is terrible. Atrocious. Once again, because the studio only cared about money, they interfered. And sadly, there went any chance Revenge had of even being a decent film. Instead, we get a cringeworthy effort that has a shark telepathically stalking a family across the globe. And it’s not even a comedy!

The novelization of the film is better than the story told in the film. And the one told in the film is about - and I kid you not - a huge Great White shark that follows a family it has a grudge against, from Amity (Martha’s Vineyard) all the way to the Bahamas (about 1200 miles). And not just that - it’s because of a completely unexplained telepathic relationship between a random Great White shark - that is hunting down the wife and family of the same man that killed another, unrelated, Great White shark. Phew. That was hard to get out. Almost as hard as it is for non-JAWS fans to watch. Somehow, I liked “Revenge” as a kid (it had a huge shark which was enough for me at the time), but now as an adult I think to myself: how did I ever watch or defend the abject awfulness that is this film?

Only as a huge fan of the original can I watch this and say, “hey, it wasn’t a COMPLETE waste of time!” But in reality it’s basically a complete waste of film. Making this film in the first place is akin to just burning a big pile of money. No reason for it whatsoever. Which is such a shame. Especially because the buzz before the film was released was that they green-lit it because it was going to make the original film proud. And the shark was going to be the best yet, by a mile.

The shark in Jaws The Revenge was called ‘Vengeance’

Then, the studio stepped in once production was about to begin. And any chance the original novelization and story had was no more. Interference is rarely a good thing. Sometimes it’s seeing something go off the tracks and pulling it back and recalibrating - which can be a good thing. This time it was all about the almighty dollar. Which led to corners being cut, and not wanting to “waste” a cent - which can’t be true since they actually made the film. But in this case, the money they didn’t want to waste wasn’t wasteful. It would have meant a better story, a better shark, and ultimately not being a major dumpster fire (besides legendary, Sir. Michael Caine’s presence, of course).

At least in the end there was some good done by part of the budget being used, as I’m happy to report that with the salary Mr. Caine received, he was able to buy a beautiful house and still hasn’t seen the film to this very day (good for him). I just wish that salary and the rest of the budget helped make a good film. But the impossible is the impossible for a reason. When a major plot point of “Revenge” is having your original hero in Chief Martin Brody dying from a heart attack (off screen) due from the shear terror and fear of a shark coming back over and over to exact revenge on your family - you slowly begin to realize what you’re in for. Hint: it’s not gonna be fun, good or pretty. It’s gonna be “JAWS the Revenge.” I think there will be another JAWS installment in the future. Could be in my lifetime or after.

I’m grateful Spielberg hasn’t let another one happen yet, because the track record of the sequels is just so awful. But when the day inevitably comes - I just hope that it’s worth it. Because there is a lot of potential in this series if the film is done right. I’m not saying there should be another film, or that one is necessary. And the reality is having one good film (the first being brilliant, actually), and one decent (JAWS 2), out of four is a fairly bad track record. But there is solace knowing no matter how bad the sequels got as they went, there is nothing that can take away from the original film. JAWS will remain untouched in that sense. It not only reigns supreme in the hearts of millions of fans around the world today, but it will always be remembered as not only Hollywood, but box-office royalty. Who would’ve guessed that when JAWS was entering its first hiccups of production in 1974? My guess: no one.

Words by Bradley Bjornstad

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