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I Introduced My Best Friend to ‘Jaws: The Revenge’ to Celebrate Its 30th Anniversary

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In honor of the 30th anniversary of Joseph Sargent’s 1987 sequel Jaws: The Revenge, I thought it would be fun to revisit the much-maligned movie with the intent of finding something redeemable about it. With its famously rushed production, head-scratching plot, questionable special effects, and a surprisingly low body count, it’s no wonder to many that this final entry in the Jaws franchise is considered one of the worst films of all time, horror or otherwise. Though it made $51.9M on a $23M budget, the film was a dud with franchise fans and critics alike; it was ultimately nominated for seven Razzies–including a nod for Bruce the Shark as Worst Actor–and sits at 0% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews.

I have always had fond memories of the Jaws series growing up. As a child, I actually recall watching The Revenge and Jaws 2 (which is still holds up as an extremely fun sequel, mind you) far more than Spielberg’s more markedly paced original. Having re-watched The Revenge as an adult a few years back, however, I was dumbfounded by how poorly written and executed the film actually is. Not even my heavily influential nostalgia blinders could elevate that viewing experience, and I was left wondering how I ever sat through it as a kid as often as I did.

For those who are unfamiliar (SPOILERS AHEAD), JawsThe Revenge follows a now-widowed Ellen Brody (franchise staple Lorraine Gary) after her youngest son Sean (Mitchell Anderson) is killed by a great white shark on Amity Island–the site of Martin Brody’s (Roy Scheider) two previous run-ins with great whites. After some convincing by her eldest son Michael (portrayed this go-round by Halloween II’s Lance Guest), Ellen steals away to the Bahamas with Michael’s family to escape the painful memories on Amity Island. However, it turns out that the shark that killed Sean is not quite finished with Ellen, and it somehow follows the Brody family over a 1000 miles to paradise to wreak more havoc. What follows is a film in which sense and franchise continuity are thrown out the window, scares are nonexistent, and sharks roar. Oh, and Michael Caine inexplicably co-stars as Ellen’s love interest, a carefree pilot named Hoagie.

To its credit, Jaws: The Revenge tries its hardest to hark back to the character-building family drama that added a truly human element to Spielberg’s original chiller, even featuring a nod to the famous father-son dinner table scene in the original. For a drama-fueled sequel, however, the film is not nearly as emotionally engaging as it sets out to be. The clunky editing and rush-job script centered on a shark with a personal vendetta against the Brody family certainly don’t aid in eliciting much genuine sympathy in the wake of Sean’s death, even for long-standing series regulars like Ellen and Michael, who at times appear to forget it ever happened mere days later. In its greatest misstep though, it is simply far too boring to be an effective horror film. Even despite the laughable fact that the film suggests Ellen has some kind of telepathic connection with the shark who killed her son, Jaws: The Revenge never takes advantage of such wild notions to any entertaining effect (although the film’s novelization did explain this connection as having magical roots).

Still, as I have found time and again with my best friend (to whom I will refer here as “LL”), even the most mediocre films can provide for the best kind of entertainment with some strong drinks and laughs. LL and I have time and again enjoyed some of the most laughably bad films while throwing back a few–from Verhoeven’s Showgirls to Tommy Wiseau’s The Room to Dark Floors, an insanely silly vehicle for Finish heavy metal band Lordi. My hope was that by introducing LL to Jaws: The Revenge, I might be able to find some so-bad-its-good-level redeeming qualities in its bumbling execution.

For the most part, that wasn’t the case. LL actually hated the film, and I still found myself quite frustrated with its pacing and script issues. In any case, I actually still had a blast revisiting it, mostly because I advised LL to keep her first-time-viewer commentary coming. During our screening, I collected a few entertaining sound bites from this first-time audience member… naturally, after a few glasses of champagne and some beers.

Here are some highlights…

  • “So… is this shark… targeting this family?
    A valid question posed very early after Sean’s death.
  • “How are you?! Your brother was just killed… remember? You used to work at SeaWorld together.”
    When Michael doesn’t seem quite as phased by his brother’s death as Ellen.
  • “What?! Get away from the water and this won’t happen anymore!”
    -After Michael suggests that Ellen spend some time in the Bahamas to, you know… get away from the dangers of the ocean…
  • “They should have come up with some explanation… like that it got into toxic sludge or something and now it’s telepathic…”
    -After Ellen first “senses” the shark.

  • “Why is it made of cloth?!? They didn’t even try to make it look like skin. Looks like they went to Jo-ann’s with a coupon.”
    It does not look great…
  • “Are they trying to make this woman crazy?”
    -After Michael’s wife Carla (Karen Young) shows Ellen a piece of artwork that looks suspiciously shark-like.
  • “This makes me want to go to the beach… so it’s not doing its job.”
    -Admiring the shots of the Bahamas.
  • “Oh my god, this is just like The Little Mermaid.
    -During Michael’s chase scene with the shark, which does bear some interesting similarities to a scene in the Disney classic. Interestingly enough, The Little Mermaid came out 2 years later.

  • “So how is this shark related to the other sharks… and didn’t they die?”
    -No one knows, and yes, they sure did.
  • “They needed to talk to Jim Henson. He could have made them the best shark.”
    In a clearly unrelated note, LL’s favorite movie is Labyrinth…
  • “This movie is so… boring.”
    -I did not disagree.

  • “STOP. No way… *laughs*”
    -When Mario van Peebles’ Jake is revealed to still be alive, even despite being pretty visibly chomped on by the shark just moments before. In the version cut for television, his character remains dead.
  • “I’m not kidding… I hate this movie so much. I feel nothing for these characters… I don’t care who dies… I just want them all to die now.”
    -When Hoagie crash lands the plane into the water so he and the others can save Ellen.
  • “I’m legitimately pissed off.”
    When the shark’s exploding death happened quickly and didn’t quite make sense.

So while Jaws: The Revenge is certainly not my cup o’ tea, I have found that, with the right priming, some fun can be had from revisiting it in all of its messy glory.

What are your thoughts, folks? Love the film? Love hate-watching it? Just outright hate it? Sound off!

Horror writer since 2016. LGBTQ+ advocate and occasional creative. Founder of the High Queerness. I love slashers, found footage, and high strangeness almost as much as I love my two pups.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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