Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

Jaws: The Revenge Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 18, 2016

Is this real life? Or is this some nightmare born of a terrifying mental, and far too often physical, transformation of a beloved movie franchise into bottom feeding chum? Jaws: The Revenge, promising a "personal" story of "revenge," embodies the "one too many" sin of sequel-itis, of studios hoping to crank out one last movie while a name is still relatively fresh and relevant in the public conscience. Existing in a completely different technical and structural galaxy from Steven Spielberg's original film, a far cry from the second, and really nothing much to do with the 3D third, Jaws: The Revenge attempts to reconnect the franchise back to its roots but in the process paints an increasingly ridiculous story about some intangible connection between man and beast and a running feud between a family and a big aquatic baddie with hunger for specific flesh. Whatever. The movie really does mean well, but it's unfortunately fallen victim to just about every no-no in the moviemaking handbook, resulting in a picture that's easily one of the worst of its kind ever to disgrace the silver screen and threaten the good name of those that have come before it.

Shark!

Martin Brody has died. He's left behind his children Michael (Lance Guest) and Sean (Mitchell Anderson) and wife Ellen (Lorraine Gary). Sean is killed by a shark at Christmastime. Ellen is understandably despondent. Family comes to visit, but it's not cheering her up. She urges Michael to find a new line of work, away from the ocean and the creature she believes is personally hunting her family and holding a grudge that will not pass until it's dead, or it kills her entire family. Her hopes for a new normal life are slowly raised when she meets and gradually falls for a pilot named Hoagie (Michael Caine), but she can't shake the feeling that her family is being targeted by a longtime nemesis.

What, exactly, is Jaws: The Revenge? Is it a Shark movie? A Horror flick? A Supernatural Thriller? A Parody? The movie doesn't seem to have any real answers, unless some amalgamation of "all of the above" is correct. It's uneven in every way, save for its very even unevenness. The movie is a topsy-turvy clunker with, to its credit, some sense of its destination but no idea about how to get anywhere close to where it wants to be. Lacking the decent production values of the second and the happy-go-lucky novelty of the third, Jaws The Revenge is a classic example of a movie sequel that throws stuff at the wall and hopes it sticks. None of it does. Though it gives an honest effort to find a stride, entertain, and maintain story continuity, it comes across as a cheap knockoff movie that's more interested in capitalizing on its namesake than it is building and telling a worthwhile (or even believable) narrative in the Jaws universe. Truly, the movie has to be the sort of thing that someone like Steven Spielberg dreams about in his nightmares, not of being eaten by the toothy antagonist but rather stuck in a world where his movies turn into really bad franchise-killing disasters.

The movie is rather bloody but not at all gory. Characters that get eaten by the shark are simply thrown into the mouth and splash and flail about a bit while tons of red liquid oozes up around them. A character whose arm is chomped off simply hides it under an inner garment and writhes about in pain as he looks at a chewed-up and blood-soaked slicker. Acting is atrocious. The venerable Michael Caine has never looked so bored. Lorraine Gary, reprising her role from the original and sequel, always seems to be wearing the wrong emotion on her face. She looks pained when she's happy, laughing when she's in anguish, always in some way struggling to find herself and her character alike. Lance Guest tries too hard. Mario Van Peebles does what he can with a goofy character. The movie, much like Jaws 2, is way too long and spends far too much time on needless character moments, the best of which are harmless filler and the worst of which embody the movie's bad acting and direction-impaired production.

Jaws: The Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jaws: The Revenge is one of those catalogue Blu-ray releases that looks fine at-a-glance but shows some serious shortcomings the deeper one digs. Generally, both detail and color are OK, the former a little rough around the edges and the latter less nuanced and more monochromatic than one would like to see. Basic close-up textures of clothes, skin, and environments offer a decent bit of clarity, but there are also plenty of instances of the transfer going overly clean, artificially smooth, processed, and flat. Grain is retained but unevenly so, sometimes almost disappearing and the image showing a much heavier level of flatter noise-reduced shots. A few edge halos are also scattered about. Color saturation is fair, and primaries are punchy, but the palette lacks the sort of finer point diversity of the best presentations. Black levels are very deep, bordering on crush early on but holding well enough. Skin tones appear rather pasty. This is a middle-ground transfer that boasts much improved qualities over older home video releases but that shows plenty of room for major improvement.

Jaws: The Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jaws: The Revenge features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, a wider and more expansive presentation compared to the previous two films' 2.0 tracks. The wider presentation is most welcome. Right off the bat, the series' signature theme plays with an increased width, depth, and low end fulfillment. The track yields several good moments and nicely realized atmospherics that help better engage the listener in the story. From otherwise mundane things like pots and pans clanking and falling on the floor to creaking woods on and splashing waves around a boat, the track is frequently engaged and makes good use of every speaker at its disposal. Larger splashes and crashes during shark attack scenes send water all but spraying through the listening area. Dialogue is clear and natural, enjoying firm front-center placement and prioritization. On the whole, the track might be a touch more crude than what one would find in a more precise modern presentation, but it's a fun listen and the best thing the movie has going for it.

Jaws: The Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Jaws: The Revenge contains two extras: an Alternate Ending (1080p, 3:42) and the film's Theatrical Trailer (480i, 1:06).

Jaws: The Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With remake and sequel fever in full swing these days, it's amazing that there hasn't been a new look at Jaws, or another sequel to it, but if any movie could kill a popular franchise, this was it. Awful in every way, it's hard to imagine wanting more. Yet that may be all the more reason to go back and give it a proper send-off, though does anyone really trust the Hollywood machine to get a new Jaws right? Anyone? Universal's Blu-ray release of Jaws: The Revenge features middling video, fairly good audio, and a microscopic supplemental section. Skip it.