The Second-Best Shark Movie Ever Made, Where To Stream

But if Jaws 2 is so stream-worthy, why does nobody ever talk about it? The reason is simple: Jaws 3 and 4 are cinematic abominations. Most people can’t be bothered to apply nuance when ranking something like shark movies.

As a result, Jaws 2 gets lumped in with the other Jaws sequels and filed under G for garbage. But Jaws 2 isn’t garbage, far from it. Jaws 2 is actually a fun thrill ride of a movie, perfect to stream with a partner on a rainy day when there’s nothing else to watch.

Jaws 2’s premise is the hardest thing about it to swallow. Four years after the events of the original film, a second great white shark makes its way to New England and terrorizes the citizens of Amity Island. If you can accept the fact that another shark is attacking the same Island, then the rest of the film is a blast.

Jaws 2 makes a genius storytelling decision early on. One of the first victims of the new shark manages to shoot it with a flare gun, setting the shark on fire and scarring half its face. This serves to really hammer home that this shark is a different one from the original.

Was it necessary? All I can say is that, believe it or not, there are still people who think it’s one shark through all four movies, so it definitely didn’t hurt.

Considering Jaws 2 was a healthy revenue stream for Universal it’s pretty safe to say that the Freddy Krueger shark didn’t drive any customers away.

The plot is pretty much the same as the first Jaws but with a few tweaks. This time around, Chief Brody is dealing with PTSD from the events of the first movie.

At one point, he sees a school of bluefish in the ocean and starts firing his gun into the water, scaring everyone on the beach. The way Jaws 2 shows Brody’s slow descent into madness is yet another reason to stream it ASAP.

Roy Scheider was so against the idea of doing this film that he tried to get out of it any way he could. It was actually Universal’s threat of a lawsuit that finally got Schieder to agree to reprise the role of Chief Brody for the sequel.

I’ve watched Jaws 2 several times in my life—first on VHS, then on DVD, and now streaming—and I’ve never noticed anything lackluster about Scheider’s performance. 

On the contrary. He may have been reluctant to return, but he definitely gave the role his all. As did all the returning actors. Pretty much the only two people from Jaws that don’t show up in the sequel are Quint (Robert Shaw)  because he’s dead and Richard Dreyfuss’s Hooper. 

Even though Jaws 2 has a steady stream of returning characters, the movie’s new characters really make the movie. The latter half of Jaws 2 follows a group of teenagers, including Chief Brody and Mayor Vaughn’s sons, as they go out sailing and try to avoid getting picked off by the new shark one by one.

It’s these scenes where the film becomes something of a teen slasher movie that really set Jaws 2 apart form it’s predecessor and give the movie some actual, genuine scares. While I wouldn’t call Jaws 2 frightening or intense—it is PG, after all—it’s definitely one to stream when you’re in the mood for some carnage.

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Jaws 2 made $208 million worldwide during its theatrical run against a budget of $30 million. It wasn’t as critically acclaimed as the original, but that’s to be expected. Audiences, on the other hand, loved it.

Perhaps Jaws 2’s most enduring legacy is its tagline, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.” The line has been copied and parodied to the point where it is permanently etched into our collective pop culture consciousness.

You could be a kid born decades after Jaws 2 in the streaming era and still recognize that phrase. It’s that iconic.

Now that I’ve got you all pumped up to watch Jaws 2, you’re probably wondering where you can stream it, right? You can check out Jaws 2 on Starz.