THE MOVIE

Steven Spielberg's classic monster movie Jaws has garnered heaps of respect over the years, and deservedly so. Listed at No. 48 in the American Film Institution's top 100 films, it still holds up as well as it did way back then (1976). After the success of the first film, Jaws 2 was made, only 2 years later. Roy Scheider was back, but Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw were unfortunatly absent. Jaws 2 was an above average film, and a decent sequel, but not in the same class as Jaws.

Why stop at 2? Why not make another? Even if we lose Scheider, we can still make a decent film can't we? I'm sure that's what Universal thought anyway. Well, they were wrong. They made a terrible film. Jaws 3 (1983) was originally pitched as "Jaws 3-D", and cinema goers were handed out 3D glasses. This DVD does not contain the film in 3D.

The story follows Mike Brody (Dennis Quaid), who works at an aquatic theme park, which is the latest hunting ground for the man-eating shark. For the first thirty or so minutes the film seemed like it might be OK. The acting is average at best, but the characters are given a bit of depth. It's when we get to the action scenes that it begins to fall down. The tension build up is okay, but it's the actual action that is very poorly executed. During the attacking sequences, some of the real-life shark's footage is sped up, to make it appear to chase people. It gives the film a very cheap feel. Rear projection and blue screening is atrocious. The budget for the effects in this film must have been very low. The final few minutes are worth a look, if only for the unintentional laughs.

Without Stephen Spielberg on board, I wasn't expecting much, but was still disappointed with the final result. I can't say that I'll be watching Jaws 3 again any time soon, if at all.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

Jaws 3 is presented in it's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is anamorphically enhanced. This transfer is actually not too bad considering the quality and age of the film in question. Specks and grain are frequent on most of the terrible effects shots, and some night scenes. Sharpness is generally good, but a few scenes seem a bit soft here and there. The colour level is acceptable, and the film doesn't really suffer from edge enhancement. If you're a fan of this film, I'm sure you'll be happy with this transfer.

Audio:

The Audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 2.0. What you get here is again what you'd expect for this film, an average soundtrack. Dialogue is always clear, and never distorts or sounds aged. I must note that the music for Jaws 3 was done by Alan Parker, not the legendary John Williams, who scored the first two films. Williams does get a credit for his "shark theme" though, which was obviously "borrowed" for this film. But it has been tampered with, and sounds different somehow. It doesn't quite have the same effect. The music and sound effects are decently represented, and the soundtrack is overall satisfying, but un-spectacular.

THE EXTRAS

Well as you'd expect, there's not much to talk about here. We get the thatrical trailer for Jaws 3, which is actually a decent teaser trailer. We also get trailers for Jaws 2 and Jaws, The Revenge. Notably absent is the trailer for the original Jaws, but I can understand why.

SUMMARY

Jaws 3 is a poor addition to the Jaws franchise, and is a real let down in comparison to the first two films. The series has gone from classic, to good, to paltry, and I have not yet seen Jaws, The Revenge. After the third installment, I don't think I'll bother with the fourth. If you're a fan of this film, or want the whole series on DVD, then I'm sure you'll be happy with Jaws 3. If you're expecting the same quality of the first film and it's DVD, you'll be drastically let down.