Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.
Jaws 2 is a competent but largely formulaic sequel that recycles the core premise of its predecessor without adding much new. The plot is derivative — another great white terrorizes Amity, Brody tries to warn people who won't listen, teenagers get picked off — offering little dramatic novelty. Roy Scheider anchors the acting with a credible performance, giving the film more weight than it might otherwise have, though the teenage cast is thin. Cinematography is serviceable with some effective water sequences and decent tension-building shots, though it lacks the iconic visual craft of Spielberg's original. The ending delivers a satisfying if predictable resolution with Brody dispatching the shark in a creative enough manner to register as reasonably effective. Overall it's a watchable but clearly lesser follow-up.