Jaws II: The Amity Horror

Do sharks hold grudges?

Make sure to watch to the very end, to find out!

Another masterful release by Last Survivor. As one has come to expect, the cuts and trims are virtually seamless and the audio work is top notch. There is only one moment where the picture dips noticeably, where a standard definition deleted scene has been inserted. And as with most LS releases, this edit comes with a very entertaining and informative audio commentary.

In terms of narrative and tone, this is not dramatically different from the original, even though I think about 20 minutes has been cut. By trimming back on the Brody scenes, the teenagers subplot is now given equal footing with Brody's storyline, creating a more balanced, leaner, faster paced story.

A very enjoyable popcorn fan edit.

Jaws 2 is frequently thrown under the bus as an almost worthless sequel because of the cardinal sin of not being nearly as great as the original Jaws. And to be honest that's true, it's not. But it's still a solid and highly enjoyable and entertaining movie that still feels a lot like it belongs with the original, and it does have certain unforgettable moments and scenes. For me, it's the third best among all of the "killer fish" movies that were made around the late 70s-early 80s (second best would be Joe Dante's Piranha, and I don't think I need to mention what the absolute best is).

However, as Last Survivor very sharply noticed, this is at its core actually a slasher film in the ocean. This was 1978, and the slasher genre was rising fast. You may have heard of a certain little film starring a guy in a William Shatner mask that was released that very year and that I understand got quite popular... So they did apply the structure to the sequel to Jaws, which in my opinion definitely beats the kind of sequel that just tries to be a replica of the original. So what this edit does is embracing that factor and the fun that comes with it, and the result is a fast paced, lean, mean little trip that feels like the perfect "rainy Sunday afternoon" type of movie. Exactly what it was for a lot of us, including the editor. One can feel the love that LS has for the film and the franchise in every frame and every cut.

Editing is, as expected, completely professional. If one had never seen the film it would be impossible to guess where the cuts happen. I also love the warm, summery color grading that fits the movie so well, and particularly the fact that the John Williams score has never sounded better. If you are a Williams fan (and who isn't?) you will love this edit.

The only minor flaws that this presents are a bit of ghosting in certain shots. Now, I am aware of Last Survivor doing absolutely everything he could do to make those look good, but some things are unavoidable if you have a sub-par source for one scene (an originally interlaced and low quality deleted bit) or if you play with less than ideal slow down parameters ingrained in your software. But this is, as I said, minor stuff, the edit looks absolutely great otherwise, and let's be honest, this is the type of movie we all watched on battered rental tapes and never complained.

A hour and a half of pure fun. It even includes a playful wink at the so-terrible-it's-good Jaws IV! What else can one ask for?

LS has decided to take Jaws 2 and try to drive it more to the slasher film it sort of always has been.

He added a new warmer color grading to give it a more 80's feel but I personally enjoyed this color variation and it reminded me of really nice bright beach weather days. I would love to see the normal version of Jaws 2 with this color grading change

The shark eats way more than a normal shark would. In fact because it blatantly hunts down people, eats more than it could possibly consume and has an intelligence enough to understand how to separate and pull boats apart (for its own benefit), this shark is more like a monster. Add now a disfiguring bad burn on half the side of its face (which was from the re-ordered speed boat scene which now opens the film), and we have our psycho killer with a temper. So this part works

The problem I have is I still don't see it exactly as a slasher film. Williams score music is too damn good and almost suspenseful rather than going into the horror realm (well at times) to give me a feeling of a slasher horror movie, even though the shark is clearly treated as such a character. Wonder if the feeling would be different (and if it were even possible) to use another film score (say from Friday the 13th) and see if it changes the tone a bit more?

That being said:: as an alternate, streamlined and completely suspenseful, fast moving and different telling of the film, this works as gold!!! I highly recommend checking this out

I have not yet listened to the commentary track but looking forward to it.

While not as inventive as his Jaws III: Monster edit, Last Survivor has created another wonderful edit. He eliminates some of the "slower" moments to create a faster paced edit, in which he is able to turn Jaws into more of a Jason or Michael type slasher with the non-stop attacks. I've always enjoyed this film, not as much as the original, and like many, have always thought of it as a "teen slasher" flick. For whatever reason during this viewing, I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous Jaws was in the non-stop pursuit of trying to kill the teens during the final act. The only real major change to the film is the beginning, and a little bit at the very end, which worked really well for me! I just discovered LS's edits 6 weeks ago, but have enjoyed them all and look forward to any projects he does in the future... If you are a fan of Jaws 2, I think you will enjoy this edit.

It has been a long time since I watched Jaws 2 and was keen to watch it again with the stated improvements. I was not disappointed. This tightens up the story and keeps the focus on the Brody family, trimming away some of the sections which drag. I welcomed the increased colour saturation, but found it pushed a little too red for me, but otherwise, Nice work Last Survivor. Thanks.