When Jaws was released in 1975, it showed how clever tricks of the camera could create the illusion of a deadly shark stalking the beaches of Amity Island. With such a successful first outing, making a sequel that could measure up to the original's success was nearly impossible. But when Jaws 2 was released in 1978, it proved that it was more than just a sequel; it was a standalone film worthy of appreciation in its own right.
Jaws 2 takes viewers back to Amity, with Chief Brody's son, Michael, much older and trying to navigate young adulthood. It's been some time since the shark attacks that put the town in panic, and Chief Brody hasn't had much to worry about since. But when divers and swimmers begin to disappear, all evidence points to another shark. Now, the Chief has to prove the attacks are real and that he isn't going insane while his son faces the reality of adulthood as the man-eating shark looms just offshore.
In the original film, the shark is barely shown. The POV shots from its perspective helped to build suspense as it approached victims without their knowledge. However, the shark didn't make its full appearance until the final act, where it shows off how much of a terrifying menace and force of nature it truly is. Rather than recreate the same suspense, Jaws 2 instead decides to saturate the film with multiple shots of the shark. Unlike the original shark, this one shows malicious intent and acts more like a villainous monster than a hungry animal. It even has a burn mark on its face from when a boater tried to blow it up.
The shark then terrorizes Brody's children and friends, leaving them lost at sea and pushing them out to shore with the help of the current. It also tries to eliminate any potential aid they could receive, including a helicopter pilot trying to tow them to shore. The shark is an ominous threat that towers over its victims as it devours them, and it isn't afraid of exposing itself to injury to terrify the teenagers trying to survive the attacks. Aside from being a menace, the shark also offers some metaphorical parallels to the film's two main characters.
To Michael Brody, the shark is a representation of him facing down the barrel of adulthood. The shark is ruthless and difficult to handle, much like the responsibilities that come with facing the world as an adult. Not everyone is ready for it, as Michael's brother Sean finds out after joining him. Unlike the other kids, Sean is forced to watch one of his friends get eaten right in front of him, leaving him traumatized and showing how he wasn't ready for the real world at his young age. The only one who can defeat the shark is Chief Brody. However, he is also facing off with his own self-worth after being fired as Sheriff for opening fire on a beach, thinking the shark was attacking. To kill the beast is to prove that life hasn't defeated him, similar to Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.
Jaws 2 follows the same concepts as the original film, like a dangerous creature and people facing off against nature with nothing but their ingenuity. But rather than being a lesser version of what came before, the sequel goes its own way and creates something thematically unique. By making the shark a true villain, the terror is amplified. But by adding in new themes about adulthood and self-worth, the movie carries a weight hidden just below the surface that makes it an underappreciated classic.
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