Directed by Joseph Sargent. Written by Michael de Guzman. Starring Lorraine Gary, Lance Guest, Mario Van Peebles, Karen Young, Lynn Whitfield, Mitchell Anderson, Judith Barsi and Michael Caine.
Plot: ignoring Jaws 3, this movie follows Ellen Brody, now widowed, after she loses her son, Sean, to a shark attack.
Having enjoyed the third Jaws movie, we were bummed that this movie decided to ignore it. We watched it anyway, though, as we do. It starts on Amity Island where Martin Brody is now deceased and his son, Sean (Anderson), is a deputy. One day Sean is called out into the water to clear a log from a buoy and he is killed by a shark. At the funeral, his mother, Ellen (Gary), is convinced by her other son, Michael (Guest), to come to the Bahamas with him and his family. So, she boards a plane with Michael, his wife, Carla (Young) and their young daughter, Thea (Barsi). The pilot of the small plane, Hoagie (Caine), takes an interest in Ellen and they start hanging out in the Bahamas. But, and this is the ridiculous part, the shark that killed Sean has followed Ellen to the Bahamas to kill the rest of her family.
Ellen has pretty much gone crazy because of this shark. She’s having nightmares and she’s sure the shark is coming for them. So, she begs Michael, who is now a marine biologist, to quit his job, but he won’t. Then, he has an encounter with the shark and lies to her about it. He also doesn’t like his mother seeing Hoagie for some reason. Of course, the shark attacks again, this time almost getting Thea, so Ellen goes after the shark all by herself.
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And now, the end. Michael, Hoagie and Michael’s business partner, Jake (Van Peebles), go after Ellen and they all end up in the same boat. Jake gets pulled off the boat by the shark, but somehow survives. At least in the revised ending he doesn’t. In the original version, he does die, but audiences apparently didn’t like that. They also didn’t like that the shark simply bled to death when it was impaled by part of the boat, so in the revised version it explodes, unrealistically, once impaled. Like, what?
The movie was honestly, a little entertaining, but not nearly entertaining enough. For one thing, the science is off and DJ hates that. Sharks are often seen in the Bahamas and everyone in the movie says they aren’t. For another thing, most of the characters are unlikable most of the time. Michael keeps lying to everyone and Ellen is stupid, especially when she decides to leave Michael’s family and Hoagie’s affection and head back to Amity. Hoagie, however, we admit is cool and clearly the best character of the lot. But when is Michael Caine not the the coolest? It’s sad he couldn’t save this movie.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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