Jaws 3-D (1983)
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A young great white shark infiltrates a Florida marine park, leading to a deadly confrontation with a much larger predator.
The story
Michael Brody, a chief engineer at SeaWorld Orlando, and his girlfriend Kay Morgan, the park's senior biologist, prepare for the park's opening. While the lagoon gates are stuck open, a great white shark follows water skiers into the park, attacking employees and a mechanic. After the shark is captured and kept in captivity, Kay discovers that a much larger shark—the first shark's mother—is also inside the park. The giant shark eventually breaks free, wreaking havoc on the park's underwater tunnels and endangering the tourists and staff.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Michael Brody and Kay Morgan work at SeaWorld Orlando, where a great white shark enters the park through open lagoon gates, killing a mechanic and two thieves. After capturing a juvenile shark, Kay realizes a much larger mother shark is also present. The mother shark attacks the park's underwater tunnels, trapping tourists in a partially flooded hub. During a rescue attempt, adventurer Philip FitzRoyce is lured into a filtration pipe by his assistant Jack Tate but is eaten by the shark. Mike and Kay eventually manage to lure the shark into the pipe; when the pumps are shut down, the shark breaks free and attacks them. Mike notices FitzRoyce's corpse lodged in the shark's throat with a grenade still in his hand. Mike uses a pole to pull the pin, triggering an explosion that kills the shark. Mike and Kay celebrate with the surviving dolphins.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Joe Alves
- Writers
- Richard Matheson · screenplay; Carl Gottlieb · screenplay; Guerdon Trueblood · story
- Cast and characters
- Dennis Quaid · Michael Brody; Bess Armstrong · Kathryn "Kay" Morgan; Simon MacCorkindale · Philip FitzRoyce; Louis Gossett Jr. · Calvin Bouchard; John Putch · Sean Brody; Lea Thompson · Kelly Ann Bukowski; P. H. Moriarty · Jack Tate; Dan Blasko · Danny
- Genres
- horror; adventure
- Themes
- Man vs. Nature; Commercialism
- Tone and mood
- Tense; Action-oriented
- Premise and plot tags
- Shark Attack; Amusement Park; Sequel
- Franchise connections
- Jaws
- Reception
- The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews and was criticized for its 3D effects, though it was still commercially successful.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 10% · scale: percentage · review count: 39; Metacritic · score: 27 · scale: 100 · review count: 9; CinemaScore · score: D+ · scale: A+ to F scale
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Picture · Nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Director · Nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Supporting Actor (Lou Gossett Jr.) · Nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Screenplay · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was shot at SeaWorld Orlando and Navarre, Florida.; Dennis Quaid admitted to using cocaine during the filming.; The film was the only one Joe Alves ever directed.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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