It could have been so much more fun. At some point, a third Jaws movie was pitched as an outright spoof entitled Jaws 3, People 0. But script differences, ratings concerns, and apparently the protestations of original director Steven Spielberg all came together to scotch this project once briefly earmarked for Joe Dante, who would go on to make the Spielberg-produced Gremlins. Instead, the series went into ’80s sequel overdrive: a 3-D cash-in with no returning actors and a promoted production designer and second-unit director placed in charge. Once again, the ad campaign proved more lasting than the movie itself; along with the previous year’s Friday the 13th threequel, Jaws 3 helped cement the idea of a third movie as the cheesy 3-D installment. But how does Jaws 3 play decades later? Is it as cheesy as it sounds or is it a fun shark sequel?
The Gist: Orlando’s SeaWorld park really was cursed from the jump, wasn’t it? Not only has it become shorthand for cruelty to aquatic creatures made to perform for humans’ amusement, but it serves as the setting for Jaws 3, which seems like bad juju both within the world of the movie, where a killer shark is able to infiltrate the facility, and outside of it, where the park is now tied to a bad sequel. Anyway Mike Brody (the son of Roy Scheider’s character from the first two Jaws movies, here inexplicably aged into a 30ish Dennis Quaid) works SeaWorld as an engineer, and the park’s new network of tunnels turn out to be the perfect vehicle for a new giant killer shark to sneak around and kill, kill, kill!
What Will It Remind You Of?: Bad family vacations, maybe? Jaws 3 definitely moves further afield from the original film, although that’s something of a blessing, because to the extent that it can be enjoyed, that can happen on its own B-movie (or is it C-movie?) level. If ever a Jaws sequel had a chance to succeed, it would probably be as an ’80s version of the then-dormant Universal Monster movie.
Performance Worth Watching: Louis Gossett Jr. plays the park manager who seems cheerfully indifferent as to whether to capture the shark or kill it to sell tickets (really anticipating SeaWorld’s later controversies). It’s not one for his highlight reel, but he’s definitely giving the most fun and charismatic performance of the bunch.
Sex and Skin: Though a PG in 1983 meant something a little different than it does today, the series still takes a pass on going full-on exploitation; both sex and violence are relatively minimal for what is still essentially a slasher sequel. Mike’s younger brother Sean (John Putch) gets into some horny antics, but it’s still pretty mild.
Memorable Dialogue: Mostly of the unintentionally-funny variety; at one point, for example, Mike characterizes great white sharks as “murderers.”
Our Take: In case it wasn’t clear yet, Jaws 3 is a pretty bad movie. Having exhausted the possibilities of revisiting the same island, the series moves south to Florida, and while the SeaWorld setting is novel, it’s also a bit chintzy, a hedge against having to shoot on the actual ocean. The movie also upholds a sequel tradition of the era that has been revived for the schedule-crunched 21st century: Despite many advances in the eight years since the original film came out, the visual effects are noticeably worse, including a pioneering use of video compositing (rather than optical film-printed effects) that does not appear quite ready in 1983. (In other words, some of the shark shots look worse than ever.) As it happens, the one potential saving grace of Jaws 3 is that it’s silly and pretty stupid (again, this is a movie set and made with the participation of SeaWorld where characters nonchalantly suggest selling tickets to a shark execution) in a way that makes it easier to enjoy than Jaws 2, which is “better” in a way that mostly highlights its inferiority to the original. No one would compare Jaws 3 with the original. It’s barely fair to compare it to Jaws 2. Because it doesn’t quite cross the line into howler territory (something that still awaits in the next film), it’s arguably the most fun of the Jaws sequels. Not exactly high praise, but at this point, the franchise should take what it can get.
Our Verdict: If you want to sample a cheesy Jaws sequel, this is probably the one to catch. But by any reasonable standard, you should probably SKIP IT. They should have made the spoof.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn podcasting at www.sportsalcohol.com. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others.