After her youngest son is killed by a giant shark, Ellen Brody goes to
​be with her other son in the Bahamas, but is followed by the shark.

HORROR

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Directed by Joseph Sargent

Written by Michael De Guzman

Starring Lorraine Gary, Lance Guest, Mario Van Peebles,
Michael Caine, Karen Young, Judith Barsi, Lynn Whitfield

Sequel to 1983's Jaws 3

Based on characters created by Peter Benchley

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Connor Eyzaguirre

December 10, 2017

5/10

It's rare to find a movie that's both bad and enjoyable, but I think Jaws: The Revenge fits the bill. Often hailed as the worst sequel of all time, the fourth Jaws movie ain't setting any records. It's a travesty from beginning to end, from the blatant disregard of every major plot point in Jaws 3 to the shark actually roaring in the climax. I don't know if you know this, but sharks can't roar. This movie goes out of its way to be ridiculous. I mean, the premise is a shark with a vendetta towards the Brody family. That idea actually made it off the cutting room floor and into the movie. Yet, I actually found myself enjoying this one most of the time. Here's my reasoning.

Michael Caine can do so much with so little. His role in this movie is basically just "English pilot," but he's so charming in the role of Hoagie that he helps the movie shine a little brighter. As usual, the shark looks pretty good, though someone tried way too hard to make him a character with motivations instead of the natural obstacle he usually is. I'm glad they kept going with the Brody family and featured a bit of Amity, though the archive footage of the first film mostly just felt like a blatant attempt to stir up memories of a far superior film. Don't get me wrong. This movie is abysmal. But it really pushes into "so bad, it's good" territory, an ongoing theme with the Jaws sequels.

The Jaws franchise has fallen a long way down from the iconic first film, and like most horror franchises, it has become a modern-day joke. The story makes zero sense and gets increasingly stupid, and the side characters are annoying, borderline offensive stereotypes. I can't imagine what they would've done for a fifth film, but the words "zombie shark" keep coming back into my head. After this disaster, I wouldn't put it past them.