User reviews

Saw this one in all its 3D glory in the theater back in 1983, and it really scared the heck out of me. (I was ten) This film furthers the saga of the Brody family as sons Sean and Mike are now fully grown and moved away from Amity Island. Sean does something in Colorado if I recall, and Mike is (heh, heh, heh,) an underwater welder who just finished construction of an undersea kingdom at Sea World in Florida. Just when the park is about to have a grand opening, some uninvited guests show up. They being a 35-foot great white shark and her offspring. Needless to say, some people get eaten.

This film was originally going to be made as spoof of the previous two films. I'm not sure if any type of a finished script to that effect exists, but it would be worth a look. Jaws 3D ends up being another serious monster movie with a disaster movie subplot. Not only does the shark eat a bunch of people, it also traps several others in the underwater part of the park. The race is on to save the people and kill the mother shark. Her baby dies midway through after it is captured and hastily put on display in the park. The conclusion is fairly exciting, and full of bloody carnage.

The cast is one of the stronger points of the film. Dennis Quaid is the fearless Mike Brody. Bess Armstrong plays the park's head biologist and Quaid's love interest. (The real sparks were apparently flying between Quaid and Lea Thompson off camera, though!) Thompson plays a water skier at the park, and John Putch plays Sean Brody who falls for her. Simon MacCorkindale and P.H. Moriarity play a couple of Englishmen who show up and help battle the sharks. By far the best performance is turned in by Louis Gossett Jr., fresh off his Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman. He plays the owner/manager/president (I'm really not sure which) of the park. He has a terrific moment as he addresses the park guests in the underwater tunnels over the p.a. system. He turns on the fake executive public relations charm and asks them all to calmly exit the park just as the giant shark is bearing down on them.

The individuals who play Dan and Liz left a lot to be desired. Since no other film credits are listed for them, one would have to conclude that they actually worked at Sea World and were given these roles since this is what they do on a daily basis. Maybe they still work there. Anyone know? The sharks look pretty good in most of the scenes. Except at the very end when the shark is lodged into the control room and its tail is sticking out. That looked incredibly fake. In addition, sharks must always stay moving in the water or they'll die. They can't just lay low in huge underwater structures waiting to pounce on their victims. They usually strike from directly underneath their victims in most attack scenarios. The big shark in this film also has the ability to growl and roar, but not as loudly as the one in part IV! The 3D effect looked very good in the theater, but films like this lose quite a bit of their luster on the TV screen. You're only left with a bunch of gag shots that were supposed to scare viewers in the theater, but now look ludicrous and forced.

This film made some pretty decent $ in its theatrical run, and is still shown regularly on television. If nothing else is on, and you find yourself in front of a TV for an extended period, give this film a try. But be forewarned: Part IV is perhaps the worst film ever made. Don't waste your time on that one! 5 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

I'm certain if you read the screenplay for this third entry in the Jaws franchise you'd think it could amount to a solid sequel. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the idea, it at least adds many new elements to the Jaws formula. Where it all goes wrong is in the execution. The acting, direction, and production values are way, way below what they should have been. The 3-D effects are ridiculous. They bring to mind a SCTV parody of 3-D films, with exaggerated tricks that add nothing to someone watching this in regular format. Compare this to something like The Creature From The Black Lagoon, or It Came From Outer Space- those films were 3-D but play perfectly well as flat films. But those were made by people with talent, this film is not.

There's also the weird idea of using the Sea World park, but making it a fictitious one located near the ocean with completely different attractions- it's a strange bit of promotional advertising. The real Sea World is quite different, and yet it's shown with all these fantastic elements that are pure fantasy. A better idea would have been to name the marine attraction something original. The scenes somehow come off way more corny and trite than the actual theme park was at the time. The use of the dolphins is a great idea that is staged horribly. The old Flipper show had better shark vs. dolphin scenes.

The effects are wretched. In fact, had they worked it would have helped save the whole film from being a waste, but they are totally amateurish, below that of a Roger Corman exploitation film from the 50s or 60s. One expects more from a major studio mounting a sequel to a mega-hit.

The actors offer nothing here. Dennis Quaid and Louis Gosset have shown remarkable talent, but none of it is on display here. Bess Armstrong and Lea Thompson are both very attractive, but again they don't really add anything, and Thompson seems especially vapid here. Luckily all these actors are in a film so filled with incompetence that the music, effects, editing and overall storytelling distract from their work.

A pair of Great White sharks attack Sea World in Florida.

Jaws 3-D is a mostly weak film but has the redeeming quality of presenting such an outrageous concept you cannot help but watch it unfold. Additionally, it's artistic and technical merits are quite enjoyably flawed.

Jaws 2 was an unnecessary yet well made sequel, but having members of Brody family face yet another "murderer" shark is a laughably daft concept. Rather disturbingly it continued a trend of movies that demonise sharks. There are numerous other ideas involving the behaviour of sharks/dolphins and reactions of the main characters that are equally as bizarre, but if you can switch the brain off and appreciate their entertainment value you might find it a worthwhile investment of time. It also contains recycled character arcs from the original movie that feel like pale imitations.

Technically it has problems, particularly when most viewers will not get the chance to see the theatrical release. Most visuals designed for a 3-D experience stand out and do not have the same impact.

The shark horror sequences have little build up or tension and are quite unconvincing. I do admire the ambition of attempting to create a victim's perspective sequence from the inside of its mouth, but most of the final scenes of painfully slow moving underwater horror, (particularly the moment in the control room) are incredibly ropey.

That's not to say that the classic original did not (in principle) have the same problems. A mechanical shark looks like nothing else in every Jaws movie. However, Spielberg understood this and wisely kept the shark mostly hidden and focussed on developing great characters and tension.

I feel sorry for the editor of this sequel as it appears they had to cut together footage from both above and below the sea level that make the water's depth and lighting conditions look very inconsistent.

For some balance I am positive about the performances. Most actors do their best with dodgy material. Louis Gossett Jr, Bess Armstrong, and the coked up Dennis Quaid standout. Lea Thompson has some memorable moments as the "professional water skier". It feels the direction was more focussed on making the cast look good in shorts and swimsuits than character portrayals, but they manage to elevate some scenes. Armstrong convinces me as a whale/dolphin wrangler and I think she is the strongest performer.

As a young child of the 80s I quite enjoyed it on VHS. On a recent rewatch I placed it in the genre: so bad it's good, and sub-genre: never rewatch and spoil that of which you have fond childhood memories.

First of all, the movie fails mainly due to the 3D effects (sorry for my English, I'm a Spaniard!) 'cause they wanna be more than they're. Sometimes, they look laughable, but the physical effects are awesome (the great great white). I appreciate this movie 'cause this is a movie of my childhood. I saw and recorded it on TV, and I grew with Mike and Kathryn, my right heroes!!!.

Now, I'm conscious about the film's mistakes, but, for a third installment, the result ins't so bad. The plot couldn't innovate the genre, but the idea of a baby shark and his angry mother is... so childish and imaginative. Otherwise the idea of a shark attack in a aquatic park is fabulous. I think that if they made this movie without the 3D effect it looked better. Sometimes, the scales don't agree, and the "lake" looks deeper than it is, for example. The ending, with the mother breaking the control room's glass is... funny (and ridiculous) ...

The characters are well performed, but I saw this film on the Spanish version, so the "dubbing actors" could act better than the original actors. Because of that, I don't understand why Louis Gosset Jr. was nominated for a Razzie award ¿?. The relationship of Mike-Kathryn and Sean-Kelly are convincing.

This movie is far for being the worst of the series. it's clearly weaker than the first ones, but...worthy and entertaining. If the effects weren't 3D, the movie was totally fabulous. But, furthermore there was the 80s. It doesn't look so bad for being 80s. Isn't it?

The Great White goes back into the cinema in this flawed sequel.This bone-chilling movie based on the Peter Benchley's novel and written by Richard Matheson and Carl Gottlieb (screenwriter of the trilogy) , it packs some exciting scenes, thrills, chills and lousy direction. The film is developed at Florida in a seaside park , while the previous entries are set at in New England in a shore community named Amity .There ,people is terrorized by a giant shark that attacks pacific tourists at the undersea kingdom during the preview week. An underwater world that contains restaurant, cafeteria, aquarium and several other things.The sons ( Dennis Quaid and John Putch) of Police chief Brody ( Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary Jaws I,II) attempt to convince the park owner (Louis Gossett Jr) who reluctantly listen them to close the attraction . Meanwhile the giant shark attacks and the victims run afoul and making a real carnage and those serving for lunch. Then, an adventurer named Phillip(Simon MacCorkindale) and his helper determine to track down and kill it. The protagonists are forced to fight for their lives in a mortal confrontation.

It's an inferior following with average creation of tension,thrills,terror, emotions and brief gore. The story gets little relation to first two Jaws, except by father Sheriff Brody and sons relationship. The argument of this gratuitous following is partially similar to ¨Revenge of the creature¨(Jack Arnold) in which also a monster terrorizes a sea park. The shark attack images deliver the exciting united to creepy score composed and conducted by Alan Parker inspired on the classic soundtrack by the master John Williams (prized with an Oscar) who heightens the suspense. This below average movie features lousy interpretations of the quintet main star, Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Louis Gossett Jr, John Putch and Lea Thompson (formerly to ¨Back to the future¨) . Regular cinematography by James A Contner (subsequently filmmaker) and is badly directed by Joe Alves, producer designer of the original film. While the classic picture by Spielberg obtained three Oscars well deserved and today considered an authentic classic, its tree sequels are much worst, and were respectively directed by Jeannot Swarc,Joe Alves and Joseph Sargent in annoying direction. Rating: Bottom of barrel, a real turkey. Only for theaters, its real asset are the 3D digital effects, for that reason in television lost their spectacular Tri-dimensional qualities.

Jaws 3-D (1983) was not only a sequel to the first two JAWS films, but it was also one of the few movies that took advantage of the rebirth of the 3-D fad that was sweeping Hollywood during the early 80's (see Amityville 3-D and Friday the 13th 3-D). When the film hit the video shelves, they scrapped the whole thing. Why make a 3-D movie in the first place if you're not going to take advantage of it when it's available for the home video market? The video looked bad when it was released as a rental. Many of the scenes that were shot didn't make any sense or were badly projected. The movie did poorly at the box office and after a couple of years, no more mainstream films were presented in 3-D. The movie itself is pretty bad. Only for die hard fans of the JAWS series.

Not recommended, unless they re-release it in 3-D. other than that it's pretty much worthless.

Every frame of this movie is a complete catastrophe.

This is Jaws' second sequel, which I think is the best of the three following the original movie. The sons of Roy Scheider's Chief Brody character, Mike and Sean, take center stage. Mike and girlfriend Kathryn Morgan are marine biologists at a Seaworld theme park. They discover a baby shark, which happened to be trapped inside the park, and later perishes. To their surprise, the scientists also discover that its 35-foot mother, a huge Great-White shark, is also trapped inside and is hungry; therefore, they try to evacuate Seaworld before any casualties strike.

The special effects were bit of a downgrade from the first two movies, with the shark's execution being less realistic and horrific; in some scenes, you could hear the animatronics and machinery that the crew used to operate the animal. Alan Parker did a fine job on the music score, I think, and also incorporated John Williams' famous shark theme.

While this film was pretty much slammed by many critics and viewers, even garnering several Razzie Award nominations, I actually thought the movie was exciting and more fun to watch than Jaws II. Having the setting inside a water theme park rather than the usual beaches in a small town is a neat idea, and seeing the Seaworld workers reacting to the idea that a huge Great White is inside the park, where thousands of visitors are, and trying desperately to find a plan to evacuate the park and capture the shark is suspenseful. The acting is descent and plot is fast-paced. Director Joe Alves did a pretty good job making the movie.

There are more surprises and thrilling moments, I think, than in the previous movie. My favorite scene is the part where the Great White swims toward the viewing glass from the park's control room, puncturing the glass, letting water rush in and sending every person inside swimming for their lives.

Overall, Jaws III doesn't match the original film in fright and shock value, but is what I think the better of the three sequels.

Grade B

I actually like this Jaws ok. I don't think it is a masterpiece or anything, but it is good if not taken to seriously. This one focuses on the Brodie boys who really went through a growth spurt. One (Dennis Quaid) works at a sea amusement park and this is where the shark attacks take place (this should alone tell you not to take the film to seriously). I actually saw this one at the theater too, so that helps to enjoy the film more as it was rather cool in 3-D and it is the only 3-D movie I have ever seen at the theater so maybe that is why I will always somewhat enjoy it. The plot is at a sea park like I said and first the team goes after this one shark that was rather puny, then you find out there is a bigger one out there. There are a couple of pretty good shark attack scenes and I loved the subplot of the people stuck in that pod underwater. This film isn't for everyone though seeing as how it is ranked as one of the worst so read other people's reviews before deciding to see it.

This may very well be the worst movie ever made with the possible exception of Man's Best Friend. The story is idiotic, the acting is unbelievably bad and the special effects look like a 7 year-old made them on a PC. For example, at one point the shark, which looks like a cardboard cut-out (and probably is!), smashes the plate glass to the viewing area as Sea World and then, as the water rushes through the broken panel, the shark just sits there! All in all, a hilarious movie. I wouldn't have believed that it was possible for anyone to make such a bad movie in this day and age. What amazes me is why Dennis Quaid consented to be in this travesty since he is not that bad of an actor. But I guess to be consistent with the rest of the film, he acted horribly himself. What were they thinking when they made this movie? That is the mystery.

Mike Brody appears to be totally over the events that struck his family in his youth and now works in Florida's newest underwater attraction – Seaworld. His brother, Sean is less sure and never goes in the water – although a visit to see Mike and a new girlfriend help him confront his fear if not get over it. Meanwhile, something is picking off staff and swimmers getting Mike and the staff out on a shark hunt. They capture a small great white and take it into captivity, only for it to die when it is put in too small a tank. They think their problems are over until an examination of the bite marks on some bodies and they realize that the shark that did the killing is much, much bigger than the one they caught.

I saw this film as a child but couldn't remember if it was any good or not – my childish fears may have made it scary even if the film was poor, so I decided to give it a go again recently. The first thing that struck me was the sheer rubbishness of the effects. In the original Jaws, Spielberg had hidden the shark as much as he could because the effects didn't work (and also therefore upping the tension); however here the makers just decide to show anything – a poorly superimposed image, a rubber shark, fake severed arms and so on – none of them are concealed, they are all shown up in all their rubbish glory. I could forgive it this due to its age but two other films had already managed to handle this issue before this film so I don't see why they went this route when it so clearly didn't work. Some shots are so bad that they could have been mistaken for being a spoof (witness the shark swimming towards the control room).

Of course, after the poor effects the second thing that hits you is the laughable plot. True it is not as bad as part 4 in terms of plausibility but it is still pretty thin. No attempt is made to really give the characters any sort of, well, character and the very basic sea world plot just about manages to give the shark enough high profile feeding scenes to keep the film moving – just don't hold your breath for any logic or sense. In fact, the opposite is true and this film does deliver some moments that make you wonder what the writers were thinking when they conceived some of this stuff! The manner of Jaws' death here would be hilarious if it wasn't so darn pathetic. Even with the plot being poor the film should still have had at least a few moment of fear and tension – many of us fear being eaten alive so it isn't hard to draw on that, but this fails to have any tension or excitement to speak of. The effects suck a lot of this out – but a director who's name is listed in the dictionary alongside the work 'workmanlike' didn't do anything to stop the rot either.

Without characters the cast are set adrift with nothing to do – how Quaid must have envied Roy Schnieder in the first films, at least he was a good character. Quaid runs around the place, Armstrong screams, Putch broods, Thompson screams and Gossett tries to act tough in the middle of a script that gives him nothing to do. I don't blame the cast but I am disappointed that nobody mention how very bad taste it was to make a happy ending out of the dolphins surviving while so many other people had not!

Overall this is just a bad film. I'm not a big one for lists so I'll not play that game here but it is pretty much without any value at all. The plot is poor, the effects are rubbish, the direction is weak, the script just a load of nonsense and there is a total lack of tension, thrills or excitement. The original is a classic and this film is further proof that sometimes classics should be just left alone.

I got so bored watching it.

It looks like it's not a bad movie, but rest assured it's a very bad movie.

Sea world is under siege from the Great White monster, that's basically the entire plot, throw on the kids from Jaws 1 (all grown up rather quickly,) some cute dolphins, some horrific 3D effects, and a hugely camp performance from Simon MacCorkindale and you have a film.

You need to be watching it in 3D or it looks horrific, the effects are bad enough as it is, without 3D they look shocking, floating limbs and fish heads etc.

I liked the opening scenes with the music and the dead fish etc. quite atmospheric I guess, I think by now though the Jaws franchise is looking very very tired, Jaws 2 was a fairly decent sequel, but they should have stopped there. The film definitely misses Roy Schneider who was the focal character (apart from the Shark of course.)

It's definitely better then Jaws The Revenge which is an absolute waste of time. In shark terms this film would be a Basking Shark, it certainly lacks any bite of any kind. It's a film you watch for a bit of fun, it's hard to take this one seriously. 4/10

Weirdly, the filmmakers promised three whole dimensions of terror when, in reality, they could barely manage two. A slow-moving and mostly tepid sequel, Jaws 3-D is a predominantly weak film, but it has the redeeming quality of presenting such an outrageous concept that you cannot help but watch it unfold. Although for much of its running time, it feels hopelessly and irredeemably padded out, its artistic and technical merits are quite enjoyably flawed. It's a film I've always particularly found to be rather dull, but I've seen so many bad films now that I feel I've become desensitised to its inherent shortcomings because there are genuinely worse films out there. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the idea; it at least adds many new elements to the Jaws formula, but where it all goes wrong is in the execution. Joe Alves's direction is largely mundane, although sometimes punctuated by a pretty sunset, it doesn't do much and feels exceptionally clunky when coupled with the editing. Credit where credit is due, however, he has admittedly sprinkled the proceedings with a few tense set-pieces, but it all feels wasted when you are dealing with visual effects this poor, the lingering 3D photography being downright laughable in a 2D format. If there's any praise to be given here, it's definitely to the performers; they do their best with inane dialogue, especially that of Simon MacCorkindale, Louis Gossett Jr. And a completely coked-out-of-his-mind Dennis Quaid. The only other major point of praise is Alan Parker's score, nothing spectacular by any means, but certainly serviceable, definitely the weakest score of the series, though nothing awful. Where Jaws 2 may have been redundant, Jaws 3-D borders on the ridiculous. One that certainly has a few merits, but would have certainly been a better film had the plans for a parody it had originally intended to be fully panned out.

When I began watching "Jaws 3-D" I had to laugh. According to IMDB and the film itself, it was filmed at Sea World in Orlando. Well, Orlando is about 90 minutes from the ocean....and there is no way ANY shark could attack there as there are only lakes around the property. I am sure that a lot of other Floridians had to laugh at this as well.

The first portion of "Jaws 3-D" wasn't that bad. Sure, there were some cheap 3-D tricks reminscent of "SCTV" and their 'Dr. Tongue' skits....but the story wasn't too stupid. However as the film progressed, the 3-D stunts got worse as did the horrid underwater sequences and, especially, the plot. We are to believe that a 35 foot Great White shark is angry because its baby was killed (sharks have zero maternal instinct by the way) and it attacks and destroys much of an underwater sea park...and, it growls!! The premise is ridiculous and the whole thing is carried off in the crappiest possible way. For examples, as people are supposedly walking around in tunnels under the sea, it's obvious that the external shots were sloppily added later....and when you see subs and other things under the water, it's obvious they were done using a green screen and VERY poorly added later. On the big screeen this must have been paritcularly jarring to watch! As for the shark itself, despite nearly a decade between this film and the original "Jaws", the shark manages to look even LESS lifelike! This is especially true in the ultra-slow motion scene towards the end when it smashes the control room...and ultimately meets its doom. You just have to see it to believe it!!

Overall, a dopey movie with abominable special effects. One positive thing, however, about the film...it proves that acting in such a movie will NOT necessarily kill your career or your reputation. Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, for example, managed to make this pile of crap and still have some self-respect. Strangely, despite all its many deficiencies...the movie still managed to make money!!

If you didn't know, this movie is currently #60 on IMDB's infamous Bottom 100 List. I can how it made it, as the list consists of the worst major releases and even after 36 years, folks STILL remember it and hate it. A terrible film.

It took three screenwriters (Carl Gottlieb, Michael Kane, and the estimable Richard Matheson) to concoct what is surely the lamest suspense movie in history. Chief Brody's oldest son has grown up and become Dennis Quaid, working as a manager at Sea World Florida; after receiving a visit from his sea-shy brother, Quaid, girlfriend Bess Armstrong (who resembles Lorraine Gary, the original Mrs. Brody), and other park employees capture a Great White shark--a feat they will live to regret! Originally shown in 3-D, the movie-monster is mainly seen via underwater stock footage. When an actual Jaws is required, director Joe Alves unveils nothing more than a rubberized dummy. Alves has fun foisting severed limbs (not to mention the head of a fish!) at the camera in an attempt to raise chills, but any audience worth their salt won't be rooting for the swimmers. NO STARS from ****

Despite the story being interesting and the characters are good; The special effects were horrible, many scenes ended open, the shark was completely false, the deaths (such as blood) were badly made, the characters are pretty dumb and the scenery itself is very poorly chosen. I would not recommend anything.

Okay so...the shark looks a wee bit fake in some scenes, but the film is overall well-made. One day if they ever do it justice and release it in it's field sequential 3-D format it would be that much better! The 3-D in this film was fantastic when this movie came out. I remember ducking a few times as a kid when I thought I was going to be harpooned. This isn't the CHEAP red/blue anaglyph 3-D. The film used the best technology available to put you right in the movie. Dennis Quaid, Louis Gossett Jr., and the other actors did a fine job. The cinematography is fantastic and shows great footage of Seaworld. 8 stars five for the film and three for the 3-D camera work. Nice one guys.