Jaws 3-D (1983) User Reviews

Mediocre, but Oscar worthy compared to part IV.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 5/10 · 15 September 2005]

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.

Another inferior and embarrassing sequel from Spielberg classic

[ma-cortes · 3/10 · 25 April 2010]

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.

It could have worked, but DOES NOT

[modern_fred · 4/10 · 29 June 2010]

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.

Terrible special effects but I liked it anyway

[Dr. Gore · 15 January 2003]

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

Jaws invades an underwater park. The idea was great. The problem is the special effects were terrible. I missed it when it came out in theaters so I never got to experience the 3-D phenomenon. Maybe that would have made a difference but I doubt it.

A giant shark attacking a Sea World like park was a great starting point. But it's hard to get scared of Jaws when he looks like the shark at Universal Studios. I mean he was one plastic shark. I need to believe Jaws is a real shark inflicting terror. This time, I didn't. He was definitely a big toy floating in the water. The climax scene was the worst of all.

SPOILER ON ENDING

Jaws goes headfirst through the window of the control room. In 3-D, this might have been cool. In the tape I saw, it looked awful.

Although the effects were rotten, I still find myself enjoying this flick. Face it, all the Jaws sequels have a very high bar set for them. They are not going to even get close to the original "Jaws". For a B giant shark flick, it was pretty good. Comparing it to "Jaws" is unfair but also unavoidable. Even though I know the effects were bad, I still liked it. It was the best "Jaws" sequel.

Pretty awful

[kira02bit · 2/10 · 19 August 2019]

After the success of Jaws and Jaws 2, it was a foregone conclusion that another voracious Great White shark would appear to terrorize filmgoers. Jaws 3-D made its appearance during the misguided resurgence of crummy 3-D in a period running from 1982-1984.

This time the action is set at a Florida Sea World-esque aquatic park where a 35-foot-long Great White manages to sneak into the park to gradually terrorize employees and patrons alike. To tenuously tie it to the original films, Mike Brody (Dennis Quaid) is one of the employees and his visiting brother Sean (John Putch) one of the potentially threatened patrons. The film hits some of the plot beats from the original Jaws (although no where near enough of them). As a couple of people go missing in action, Quaid and girlfriend Bess Armstrong begin to investigate the possibility of a shark being responsible. Naturally, Louis Gossett, Jr., is on hand as a park superior who refuses to close things down and calls in daring British adventurer Simon MacCorkindale to help locate and capture the critter. They find a baby Great White that they initially believe to be the culprit until the monstrous mama reveals herself in the latter portion.

In theory, setting the action at an aquatic park is definitely inspired and should have been a terrific setting for such a film to unfold. Alas, for all of the screaming people falling into the water (which becomes ridiculous after a while), scant few of them are actually attacked. The effects are scattershot and the film has a real problem deciding on what the shark can or cannot do. It swims backwards (not possible), sometimes it goes absurdly slow and other times at the speed of sound. In one scene, it proves capable of literally swallowing a character whole, while shortly before that it merely is capable of nipping the leg of another character.

If you are not seeing the film in 3-D, then you can be forgiven for wondering why the camera lingers on so many unnecessary shots. Truly, even in 3D, they are nothing to scream about. The sequence where the shark slowly swims towards an underwater viewing station and breaks the glass is laughably phony, but then so are many of the effects in this disaster.

The screenplay is terrible. It feels like full sections were left on the cutting room floor. There are a couple of attempts at humor that go splat, while unintentional hilarity starts to become the norm. The characters by and large are idiots and their dialogue will test patience. We may be able to swallow that a shark the size of Montana could easily swim unnoticed into the park during gate repairs, but it strains credibility that more people would not notice it hanging around for days on end thereafter. Sean is purportedly afraid of the water, but has no sooner arrived at the park before being paired by with pretty water skier Lea Thompson, who has him taking a nighttime swim in a lagoon and heading out on skimpy floats. The scenes where Putch and Thompson meet and flirt are embarrassingly amateurish to the point where it makes Porkys seem like MacBeth. Ditto, it would be nice if Mike warned his brother at some point that they suspect a shark is lurking around the park, but after their initial few scenes together, Mike seems to forget he has a brother visiting and vice versa. Plus, I am uncertain who cast the roles, but Sean is supposedly a good few years younger than Mike, but Putch looks like Quaid's contemporary or older.

Quaid is completely forgettable here. Mike is a total cipher and has pretty much nothing to do. He has no big scenes and is a fairly passive presence. MacCorkindale is lively at least, but one of the great mysteries of life is how Bess Armstrong got any acting gigs during the 80s. The woman is annoyance personified. She delivers every line with the kind of over-the-top can-do bouncing-off-the-walls positivity of Little Orphan Annie on uppers. She has no chemistry with Quaid, is not remotely credible as an undersea expert, and the only time she seems remotely alarmed during the deaths surrounding her is when she fears that a couple of dolphins have been lost to the shark. The less said about Gossett, the better. After shouting his way to a completely undeserved Oscar in An Officer and a Gentleman, it must have seemed like quite the coup to snag him here. Unfortunately, he just demonstrates that he is a hammy liability.

The film is a litany of wasted opportunities and missed chances. It does have one huge thing in its favor...it is not Jaws: The Revenge.

Not as bad as they say!!!

[salvoide · 5/10 · 16 September 2005]

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?

Revenge of the 80's: The sequel meets the 3-D fad.

[Captain_Couth · 3/10 · 25 August 2005]

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.

Major problems but entertains in its own way

[snoozejonc · 5/10 · 11 February 2024]

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.

Simply awful.

[michaelwolfe-04239 · 1/10 · 1 June 2019]

Every frame of this movie is a complete catastrophe.

Jaws 3: Audience 0.

[PathetiCinema · 1/10 · 16 August 2008]

This film is about a man who is afraid of sharks. He decides to work in a marina so he can put himself in as much danger as possible with other marine life.

One day, a gigantic rubber shark decides to enter the park to see the sights and stuff. Brody Junior realises this and spends the rest of the movie in the water.

Anyway, after all the nerve biting tension and thrills, the shark is destroyed and they all live happily ever after in 3D.

It's strange how a film can claim to have three dimensions when every character in it only has one...

This trashy, thrown together mess is an embarrassment to the series. How far we have come from great dialogue, great performances and iconic thrills to this piece of nondescript tosh.

Then again, it was directed by Alan Smithee's uncles cousins brother in law, twice removed. So the results were inevitable.

Incredible! Breathtaking!

[thomas-johnston · 1/10 · 1 December 2005]

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.

The better of the Jaws sequels.

[OllieSuave-007 · 8/10 · 30 January 2014]

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

Campy fun.

[Aaron1375 · 6/10 · 21 February 2003]

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.

Jaws 3, Audience 0

[moonspinner55 · 1/10 · 5 July 2010]

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 ****

Stupid plot, rubbish effects and almost no tension to speak of

[bob the moo · 19 July 2004]

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.

Not so Great White.

[s-woodier · 1/10 · 3 October 2007]

Abysmal. Shockingly awful. Bottom of the barrel. Things can't get any worse than this stink-bomb. I still suffer severe depression when I think about this abomination. 3D!!! They announced. Well it didn't work. The only teeth coming at me in the cinema were the ones that a boy in the third row had stolen from his grandfather and thrown. The fish's head floating, pointlessly, at the start reminded me to buy some haddock on the way home from the cinema. The acting was so wooden that a carpenter in the audience got his tools out. I could feel the audience slipping away into some mass coma. It was heartbreaking. I remember my friend glancing at me, his eyes lifeless and sad. Special Jaws 3 counselling groups were set up in my local area and I attended regularly.This crime against cinema should be battered and fried. Absolutely disgraceful.

You can't tame a Great white.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 4/10 · 24 January 2018]

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

Better Than The Meg

[gt1915 · 5/10 · 7 April 2019]

Nearly 40 yrs old and as poor as it may have been it's great for comedy and terrible effects.

Look out for the Stock footage of both sharks to the mechanical one. This is where they should have ended Jaws as the Jaws IV was abysmal.

Jaws 3: It Bites

[hypestyle · 5/10 · 23 July 2007]

Warning- Spoilers Contained Below— Jaws 3 was the third film in Universal Studios' shark-thriller movie series. The first film, released in 1975, was a pioneering blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg. He passed on a sequel, and so Jaws 2 was directed by Jeannot Swarc. Generally considered inferior to the first, it nonetheless made a modest profit at the box office in 1978. Five years would pass before another sequel was made—but perhaps it shouldn't have. 1983 saw a brief revival of 3-D films at the box-office, with minimal results. It was likely presumed that a 3-D Jaws would have more 'bite' to offer filmgoers. It didn't work.

This time (directed by Joe Alves), the action moves from the New England town of Amity to a coastal Florida Sea World amusement park. The film damages its thematic credibility early on by prematurely aging the Brody boys, sons of Chief Brody of the first two Jaws films. Now the 30-ish Mike (played by Dennis Quaid in his 80's zenith) is an engineer/designer of underwater tunnel systems, with Sean college-aged and visiting his big brother for the summer. Bess Armstrong is Kathryn Morgan, the park's head marine biologist and Mike's love interest. Lea Thompson is Kelly, a ski-show performer and Sean's would-be girlfriend.

Louis Gossett, Jr. (who had recently won an Oscar for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman) plays the flamboyant Calvin Bouchard, a New Orleans-reared businessman who has just recently taken over as the manager of the park. Fishy things start to happen when a great white shark apparently mauls an unsuspecting worker near the park's storm drainage tunnels.

Enter Philip FitzRoyce, played by Simon MacCorkindale (TV's "Manimal") an Australian wildlife photographer/hunter who offers to capture the rogue predator. He is successful, and Bouchard orders that the shark be put on display to seize on the publicity. His decision is questioned by Kathryn and Mike, the latter of whom knows all too well that great whites aren't anything to trifle with.

Soon, the shark specimen dies—however, the recently discovered remains of another shark victim indicate that they couldn't have been killed by the shark in custody—this one would have to be much bigger. Shortly afterwards, the park staff (and their clientele) are face to face with the shark's mother—over 30 feet in length and apparently feeling a maternal revenge instinct. From there, shark mayhem starts happening in a major way, as the murderous predator mauls its way through a ski-show exhibition, the bumper boat lagoon, and floods an observation tunnel. The shark is contained only temporarily, setting up the climax where viewers get to see a slow-motion reaction shot from the protagonists as the shark apparently has the presence of mind to charge headlong into an underwater control room to get at those pesky humans.

Quaid is decent enough as a lead and Gossett is always a pleasure to watch, but despite their acting pedigrees this film is still strictly B-grade at best. It is unintentionally humorous that Sea World would lend its brand name to be potentially marred as vulnerable to shark invasion (technically, there are no coastal-based Sea World parks). Perhaps the show dolphins prominently featured in the film (another real-life park attraction) had something to do with the enticement—though it would have been great if at least one of them were sacrificed to the shark. The special effects here are dated, and rendered muter for the fact that the 3-D effect has been removed. Certain scenes show objects heading straight for the camera (like a hypodermic needle, a crossbow bolt, shattered glass—oh yes, and 'Bruce'). Minus the 3-D effect, unknowing viewers may question the odd choice of angles. Everyone except a Jaws completist should only rent this film.

Bad

[jack_o_hasanov_imdb · 4/10 · 28 August 2021]

I got so bored watching it.

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

Worst Jaws Movie of the Series

[msdctn-67428 · 1/10 · 2 September 2021]

Totally boring! And bad acting..Jaws 1 2 and 4 were interesting..this one a flop..1 was best..2 in second 4 in 3rd and 3 a complete disaster!

Help, help...we're 90 minutes from the ocean and somehow a killer shark STILL is attacking us!!!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 8 March 2019]

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.

A really good movie.

[glorymetalwarrior · 8/10 · 2 December 2007]

Yes, i give this a 8 out of 10 points because i like it. I liked it back in 83/84 and still like it today, thats a good thing. To me, the jaw is more scary in this third part then in the first part for example. You can nicely see his body and its just scary to see how big he is. The plot is also very interesting, about a water park that opens his doors for the first time with some nice people working their that gives the movie a lot of fun times to watch. No stupid characters and some moments are really good like when the shark attacks some of the underwater parts of the park or when the dolphins helps the people fight the jaw. Very nice movie.

A great BAD Movie of the last 30 years

[clh-1 · 7/10 · 12 September 2005]

I am a sick, sick man. I love hokey, cheesy movies. And horror/thrillers never fail to turn out as such in basket loads. The Original Jaws is a classic in every sense of the word, a genuine edge of your seat thriller, that despite my having seen it 413 times never ceases to make me jump at just the right moments. The first sequel Jaws 2, was just your average, late-1970's rehash, Chief Brody is scared of Sharks, we get it, but not bad either, it had going for it a reasonable number of the original cast and enough of the shark to keep even the most slacked of jaws happy. Jaws: The Revenge (the fourth one) is just trash, stupid and without redeeming value (except Michael Caine, but that is another review). But this little, almost lost gem, is just so great it blinds me as a shining example of how to make a great second sequel without any of the original cast, and being a sequel in name only, Halloween wishes it could the Jaws series, and Highlander, I laugh at you (and not in a good way). A quick rundown of the plot finds MIKE BRODY (son of Roy Scheider, is afflicted with the most interesting aging disease ever, as first he ages too fast, then starts to go backwards), played by Dennis Quaid, who was at the time, near the peak of his cocaine habit. Although to be fair, he keeps it hidden MOST of the time. He was something of a heart-throb in the 80's, and the years since have been kind to him, as he still turns out pretty decent fair and hasn't gotten too ugly with age. He, John Schneider, and Sean Connery should all do a film that compliments their superior genetics. Oh sorry...got off topic for a second. Brody is an UNDERWATER ENGINEER (real likely field of work, given his history, anybody with anything remotely approaching logical reasoning abilities would go and be a farmer in Kansas) who is the leading member of the construction crew finishing up a new addition to Sea World. Lou Gossett Jr. is Calvin Bouchard, an interesting millionaire who owns Sea World and is implied to have dragged himself up by his bootstraps, thus explaining his thick quasi-Cajun accent, and lack of refinement. A lot was made of his being in the film just after his win of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman, but he probably had most of this flick in the can before the awards ceremony (Shark Chow). Bess Armstrong is Brody's girlfriend (fiance) who is also a marine biologist, fortunately for both her and Brody, she has a strange power over dolphins, and that saves them. Simon (Manimal) MacCorkindale makes an appearance as the only person I have ever actually wanted to be eaten by a shark in a movie (and real life too), fortunately the movie doesn't disappoint. We get to see the most annoying member of the Brody men, Mike's brother Sean, who despite having a stated fear of water, spends quite a bit of the film in the water. Keep an eye open for a young Lea Thompson, she dated Quaid for a while after they met making this movie. Needless to say, a shark makes its way into the park, eats a few people (for the relatively few of us who have actually seen the movie in 3-D, it is a pretty neat special effect) and then has to be taken out by Brody. He uses a grenade, borrowed from MacCorkindale's corpse, as it has been decided that the only way for the shark's to go is to be blown to smithereens. Don't worry the dolphins rush Quaid and Armstrong to the surface after the coolest 3-d explosion ever, without worry or mention of the Bends. There is a very special place in my heart for this movie. For some reason I must be the only one, as the next film, just pretends this never happened. Which is sad because this one actually made money at the theaters, and has characters that are relatively easy to care about. Watch Jaws: the Revenge, and you are hoping the entire Brody clan is taken out, not quite the heroes we were hoping for. But this little film is a great time waster. If you don't have a date for Friday night, or if like I once did, you do and she just wants to spend the night with the TV, some popcorn, the couch, a blanket, and you. You really can't go too wrong with this one. It's also a great flick to show the kiddies (I told you I am sick), I showed it to my then 5 year old nephew just before a trip to the beach, and a good time was had by all (although therapy bills are expensive). Get a copy, it's out on DVD (though not in 3-d), make a batch of popcorn, and enjoy your lovely Friday night.

The third dimension is awfulness

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 2/10 · 21 April 1999]

Oh dear is this film bad? Jaws is a classic, Jaws II is a strong, worthy sequel but this drek is just so pathetic. Though I must say it's nowhere near as bad as the notorious Jaws The Revenge.

In the space of 5 years the Brody kids have gone from kids to total grown-ups. Dennis Quaid is Michael and he now works at Sea World (one would imagine he would have a fear of the water by now) in Florida. They've just opened up their Undersea Kingdom (y'know those glass tunnels) and ignorant park owner Calvin Bouchard (Academy Award winner Louis Gosset Jnr. at the start of his downward spiral) is so full of himself he doesn't even realise a massive Great White Shark has snuck into the lagoon and plans to munch on divers, swimmers, skiers etc. Luckily for them a renegade naturalist (Simon MacCorkindale from TV's Casuality-looking EX-ACT-LEE like Thomas Jane) is hanging around to convince everyone that getting in the water to torment/trap/catch the poor beast is the best idea. His fate is firmly sealed as soon as he opens his mouth. Which is a bit of rip-off considering he risks his life many times through-out the film and Calvin Bouchard jeopardises so many but escapes un-eaten.

The shark coverage is down right terrible. The underwater photography sucks and is badly spliced with stock footage of sharks that look nothing like the clumsy foam rubber monster in the close-ups. The 3-D effects come off as the WORST you will ever see. Even in plain-old 2-D you can see that they were pretty much the most unimaginative and unsubtle attempts at reaching the audience ever. Even the 3-D tricks in Friday the 13th Part 3 were much more fun and natural than this.

I first saw Jaws III on ITV years ago. It's best to see it on the new DVD as the 2.35:1 picture adds loads to the sides of the frame for those of you who suffered the pan and scan video. Plus there is a few extra gory shots that ITV and some video releases saw fit to censor. But the picture quality is real nasty with some dirty grainy scenes and annoyingly soft focus others. The sound is simple Dolby Stereo but don't expect any Oscar winning sound mixes this time. Even John Williams shark theme is all but vanished and some guy called Alan Parker's score is generic and unengaged.

Extra feature(s) consist of a trailer (methinks originally in 3-D shown before Friday the 13 Part 3 began, in the previous summer). And then there's something Universal call 'Recommendations'. Click on it and what do you get? Still photos of the DVD covers of the other Jaws movies. Duh, thanks! The only interesting thing about this film is the fact that Sea World actually allowed their name and logo to be defamed in such a ludicrous way. Jaws may have been born into greatness but it died very, very quickly as a franchise. Now Jason Voorhees has lasted much, much, MUCH longer and the first Friday the 13th film was hardly a masterpiece.

Never underestimate the underdog.