Jaws 2 (1978)
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A police chief must confront the terrifying reality of a shark's return to a coastal community.
The story
Four years after the initial attack of a great white shark, the threat resurfaces when a shark is spotted near the wreckage of the Orca. Police Chief Martin Brody, who previously faced the beast, becomes convinced that another shark is terrorizing the coastal community of Amity Island. Despite the local government's desire to ignore the threat to protect tourism, Brody's suspicions are confirmed by photographic evidence. As the community faces a new wave of danger, Brody must navigate political pressure and personal fear to protect his family and the residents of the island from the lurking predator in the water.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Four years after the first shark attack, a new great white shark kills two scuba divers and a water skier. Police Chief Martin Brody suspects the shark's return but is dismissed by the local government, including Mayor Larry Vaughn, who fears for the town's tourism. When Brody's concerns are validated by photos of the shark's face, he is removed from his position. Despite his warnings, his son Mike and his friends go out on a boat. Brody and his wife Ellen, joined by Deputy Jeff Hendricks, launch a rescue mission. They find the teenagers' boats in distress. The shark attacks the group, and several are injured or killed. Brody eventually locates the survivors at Cable Junction, a nearby island. In a final confrontation, Brody uses an underwater power cable to lure the shark into an electrical field, successfully electrocuting the beast and ensuring the safety of the remaining survivors.
- First release year
- 1978
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jeannot Szwarc
- Writers
- Carl Gottlieb · writer; Howard Sackler · writer
- Cast and characters
- Roy Scheider · Police Chief Martin Brody; Lorraine Gary · Ellen Brody; Murray Hamilton · mayor Larry Vaughn; Jeffrey Kramer · Deputy Hendricks; Joseph Mascolo · Len Peterson; Mark Gruner · Mike; Marc Gilpin · Sean Brody
- Genres
- thriller; horror
- Themes
- Man vs. Nature; Parental Protection
- Tone and mood
- Suspenseful; Action-oriented
- Premise and plot tags
- Sequel; Survival; Marine Horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the novel by Peter Benchley.
- Franchise connections
- Jaws
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with praise for the performances, special effects, and score, but criticism for duplicating the first film's formula. It is generally regarded as the best of the three Jaws sequels.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 56% · scale: percentage · review count: 43; Metacritic · score: 51 · scale: 100 · review count: 12
- Production trivia
- The production was troubled, leading to the replacement of the original director, John D. Hancock.; The 'Cable Junction' island was actually a floating barge covered with fiber-glass rocks.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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