Film Screening: Jaws 2

Did there need to be a Jaws 2 (1978, rated PG)? Not really. There was no Citizen Kane 2, no Casablanca 2, no Gone With the Wind 2…. But the producers of Jaws figured if they didn’t cash in on a sequel, someone else would. And so, with a new French director and another robotic shark, we return to Amity Island, still under the watchful eye of Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider, unwillingly). A fancy resort hotel has just opened on the beach, and everyone’s excited for summer fun and summer profits. No one wants to hear that there’s another crazy murderous great white shark out there terrorizing scuba divers and beachgoers, and the locals are loath to heed Brody when that’s what he starts screaming at them. As the body count grows, Brody battles with the town council; meanwhile, his teenage son Mike sneaks out with a group of friends and their boats for a sailing party. Will the teens survive? It ain't Spielberg, but it’s still decent fun. At least the tagline was a hit – “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…”