Sunday, August 15, 2010

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Considered by most to be the worst film in the series, JAWS: THE REVENGE has earned a notorious reputation for its laughable plot and poor designs, but logical inconsistencies aside, there is still plenty of killer shark action to be enjoyed here. After Shawn Brody is killed by yet another Great White shark, his mother becomes obsessed with the idea that the sharks are out to destroy her family. She demands that Mike, their eldest son, quits his research in the Caribbean to ensure his safety, but when Mike and his research partner discover a Great White prowling the warm waters of the Bahamas, they set off to study the man-eater. How or why a Great White could have made it down to the Bahamas is besides the point. What is important in this third sequel is that the shark is there, and it is royally pissed. This is easily the cruelest and most violent of any of the JAWS films, where the shark literally has to go out of its way to attack everything and anything in its way (planes not excluded). After the Brody family killed four of the shark's closest relatives, it has finally come back to even the score! It is also the darkest film in the series, lacking the lighter humor that broke up the terror and suspense of the earlier films. Lance Guest offers the most memorable take on Mike Brody, bringing a seriousness and intensity to the role despite the silliness of the plot. There is one element present in THE REVENGE that manages to successfully recreate the same heart-racing anxiety of John Williams' original theme, and that is the shark's heart-rate monitor that thumps aggressively as the shark draws nearer. What can't be denied or overlooked is the dreadful design of the shark, itself, which is as unconvincing as it is unintentionally funny. Michael Caine said it best when asked about the film after its release: "I have never seen it, but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific." JAWS: THE REVENGE may be as stupid and utterly ridiculous as it has been made out to be, but it is still oddly entertaining as a supremely guilty pleasure.

Rating: 5/10.



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Posted by Carl Manes at 8:57 PM
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14 comments:

  1. I know a lot of people consider this one the worst one, and on many levels....it is. But, this one happens to be my second favorite next to the original. The ONLY reason that is so is because of the scary, creepy ass heart monitor thingy they use to detect when the shark is coming. It creeps me out every time I see it.

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  2. LJ I am right there with you, I have seen this one more than any of the other films INCLUDING the original somehow, I enjoy the hell out of this one! I love the heart-rate monitor, it really made the film.

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  4. You said it best, ultimate guilty pleasure. It is just a cheesy good time, plot holes aside. Just watch it with popcorn and laugh!

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  5. This movie does have its moments, but damn it, that roaring dino shark really gets me to hate this movie! Plus, how fake does the shark look when it is being impailed?

    HOrrible freaking movie!

    And whats this incredibly bullshit story about sharks having a psychic connection with the Brody family?

    And by the way, what shark is it thats doing the killing? Cause all other sharks from previous films were killed...so is the shark on this movie a relative looking out for revenge? The Plot holes on this one are gi-normous!

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  6. I tried again to give this one a chance but it's still awful after all these years.

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  7. You can really tell how little they cared, seeing how there numerous scenes were they even show the pole moving the shark, let alone the are two endings, with one having the shark impaled and the second having the shark impaled and exploding!!!

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  8. And yet.. I can never look away lol.. You have to appreciate how awesomely ridiculous it is that impaling the shark causes it to explode, just like in nature.

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  9. Don't forget the wonderfully, memorably awful ad line: "This time...it's personal!"

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  10. Glad you quoted that wonderful Michael Caine line, surely the finest thing to come from this utter floating turd of a "movie."

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  11. The shark roars, explodes and somehow moves into fresh water. Nothing can redeem this movie.

    To me, the pacing is just awful. It has one death scene early on and then just lingers about until the finale. Say what you will about 'Jaws 3-D,' but it had better pacing.

    In a face-off between this and 'Jaws 3-D,' the latter is more fun. Those silly 3-D parts just make me laugh more than anything!

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  12. I think its nostalgia more than anything else that keeps me coming back to this one time and time again

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  13. A man with a loaded gun saying 'watch Jaws 4 or I'll kill you could not make me come back to this one.'

    Jason Voorhees with a chainsaw that fires rabid dogs could not make me come back to this movie.

    A volcano opening up in my living room and causing the only sanctuary to be the area surrounding a TV playing 'Jaws 4' could not make me come back to this movie.

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  14. I actually saw this one in the theatre back in the day. Scared the crap out of me then. But now: good lord, it's a silly, poorly made film that I never need to see again. But it's better than JAWS 3-D, and I'd watch this one over that mess any day.

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