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Jaws 3-D

From Alfawiki
Jaws 3-D
Company typeFilm
IndustryMotion picture
Founded1983
FounderJoe Alves (director)
Headquarters
Orlando, Florida (setting and filming location)
,
United States
ProductsHorror motion picture

Jaws 3-D (also referred to as Jaws III in its 2-D format) is a 1983 American horror motion picture directed by Joe Alves, featuring performances by Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Simon MacCorkindale, and Louis Gossett Jr.. Serving as the second follow-up to Steven Spielberg's Jaws, it represents the third chapter within the Jaws series. The storyline centers on the Brody siblings at SeaWorld Orlando, a marine theme park in Florida known for its underwater tunnels and lagoons. As the park prepares to open, a juvenile great white shark infiltrates the facility, attacking staff members. Upon capturing this smaller shark, it becomes apparent that a much larger predator is behind the assaults.

This film leveraged the resurgence of 3D technology during the 1980s, joining other horror titles such as Friday the 13th Part III and Amityville 3-D. Viewers wore disposable polarized 3D glasses to experience visual effects designed to project beyond the screen, including scenes depicting the shark’s destructive actions. Since early home viewing systems lacked effective 3D capabilities prior to modern 3D television technology, the movie is presented as Jaws III for television broadcasts and home video formats.

Although it received predominantly negative critical responses, Jaws 3-D was financially successful, produced on an $18 million budget and grossing $88 million worldwide. It was succeeded by Jaws: The Revenge in 1987, which disregards events from this installment.

Plot

Michael "Mike" Brody, son of Amity Island’s police chief Martin Brody, serves as chief engineer at SeaWorld Orlando, working alongside his girlfriend Kathryn "Kay" Morgan, who is the park’s lead biologist. The park boasts newly constructed underwater tunnels allowing visitors to observe marine creatures up close.

When lagoon gates become stuck open, a great white shark follows water skiers into the park’s waters. Kay observes that resident dolphins, particularly Cindy and Sandy, refuse to leave their enclosure. Park manager Calvin Bouchard welcomes adventurer Philip FitzRoyce, while Mike’s brother Sean arrives for his college summer break. That evening, mechanic Shelby Overman dives to fix the gates but is attacked and killed by the shark. Sean starts dating Kelly Ann Bukowski, a water skier. Meanwhile, two thieves attempting to steal coral fall victim to the shark.

Kay and Mike search for Overman’s body using a submarine and encounter a juvenile great white approximately long. The dolphins rescue them as the shark escapes. FitzRoyce proposes killing the shark on live television; however, Kay suggests capturing it alive for publicity purposes. The juvenile shark is caught but dies after being relocated to an exhibit. Kelly convinces Sean to go out on a bumper boat despite his apprehensions.

Analysis of Overman’s body reveals that the attacking shark is actually the mother of the juvenile and has also entered the park. When the larger shark appears at an underwater café window, Calvin becomes convinced of its presence. The shark causes significant damage, injuring Kelly and flooding part of the underwater tunnel system. FitzRoyce and his assistant Jack Tate try to trap the shark inside a filtration pipe. FitzRoyce dies when his tether breaks and the shark escapes.

Mike and Kay focus on repairing the tunnel and evacuating visitors while Calvin orders pumps shut down in an attempt to suffocate the shark; however, this action inadvertently frees it. The shark attacks again but dolphins come to Mike and Kay’s rescue. The predator breaches the control room, killing a technician. Mike notices FitzRoyce’s corpse inside the shark clutching a grenade; he detonates it with a pole, killing the shark. Mike and Kay celebrate their survival alongside the remaining dolphins.

Cast

Development and writing

The initial concept for the film was a parody titled Jaws 3, People 0, proposed by producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck, who were behind the first two installments. In 1979, Matty Simmons, known for producing National Lampoon's Animal House, was attached to produce, with Zanuck and Brown serving as executive producers. Simmons enlisted National Lampoon writers John Hughes and Todd Carroll to develop the screenplay, and director Joe Dante was briefly considered for the project. The planned cast included Bo Derek and Richard Dreyfuss, but the production was ultimately scrapped after Steven Spielberg convinced Universal to halt development, largely due to disagreements over the desired film rating—Zanuck and Brown aimed for a PG rating, whereas Universal preferred an R rating.

Subsequently, Alan Landsburg secured the production rights and approached avant-garde filmmaker Murray Lerner, who declined involvement citing dissatisfaction with the script. The project was eventually directed by Joe Alves, who had served as production designer on the first two films and second unit director on Jaws 2. Principal photography occurred at SeaWorld Orlando and in Navarre, Florida.

Several writers contributed to the screenplay. Richard Matheson, responsible for the initial outline, was mandated by Universal to include Martin Brody’s sons Michael (Dennis Quaid) and Sean (John Putch) and to maintain continuity with the shark featured in Jaws 2. Matheson was also requested to create a role for Mickey Rooney, but this was dropped when Rooney became unavailable. Matheson later criticized the final outcome, pointing to weak direction and ineffective implementation of 3D technology.

The story credit goes to Guerdon Trueblood, whose narrative centers on a great white shark trapped within a lake. The screenplay was co-written by Carl Gottlieb, who had revised scripts for earlier films, alongside Matheson. Director Alves disclosed that approximately 20 minutes of footage were excised at Landsburg’s insistence.

The character Calvin Bouchard, portrayed by Louis Gossett Jr., was initially scripted to be the shark’s last victim; however, producers chose to retain him after being impressed by Gossett’s performance.

Casting

None of the actors from the preceding two Jaws films returned for this installment. Roy Scheider, known for his role as Police Chief Martin Brody, declined participation, famously stating that "Mephistopheles ... couldn't talk me into doing [it]." He deliberately accepted a role in Blue Thunder to ensure he would be unavailable for Jaws 3-D. In a 2015 interview, Dennis Quaid revealed that he was heavily using cocaine throughout filming, admitting to being under its influence during nearly all of his scenes.

3D

Amid a revival of 3D cinema, Jaws 3-D prominently featured this technology, as highlighted by its title and the slogan "the third dimension is terror." Joe Alves, directing for the first time, was convinced that utilizing 3D would provide the movie with a unique advantage in the market.

Viewers donned polarized glasses to witness effects such as titles projecting outward and the shark’s jaws seemingly breaking through the screen, especially during the film’s intense attack and destruction sequences. Creating convincing blue screen compositing in 3D presented significant difficulties, necessitating numerous reshoots.

Initially, the production used StereoVision 3D technology with consultant Chris Condon; however, after one week, they transitioned to the ArriVision system recommended by Stan Loth. This system offered improved lenses and minimized ghosting and blurring. Alves stressed that their approach to 3D filming was clear and comfortable for audiences, avoiding the headaches often caused by lesser systems.

The movie employed both Arrivision and StereoVision single-strip-over-and-under setups, allowing filming on standard 35 mm film using a twin-lens adapter that recorded left-eye and right-eye images stacked vertically. This technique enabled conventional projection through a specialized lens and silver screen to achieve polarized 3D effects, compatible with most theaters without needing dual projectors. Underwater scenes were captured using an Arriflex 35–3 camera fitted with Arrivision 18 mm over/under 3D lenses.

For home video and television broadcasts lacking 3D capability, versions generally displayed only the left-eye image under titles like Jaws 3 or Jaws III, leading to reduced resolution due to half-frame usage. Notable exceptions include a 1986 Video High Density (VHD) disc release requiring dedicated players and glasses, as well as a Sensio 3D DVD edition released in 2008 that depended on a Sensio processor for home 3D viewing.

Universal issued a Blu-ray release on June 14, 2016, marketed as a 2-D edition but containing a complete Blu-ray 3D version included as a special feature.

Music

The soundtrack was composed and conducted by Alan Parker, recognized for his work on British television series such as Van der Valk and Minder. This marked Parker’s first score for a feature film; he later worked on projects including What's Eating Gilbert Grape and American Gothic. The score incorporates John Williams’ iconic shark theme. Originally released by MCA Records, which was later absorbed by Geffen Records, the soundtrack was reissued on CD in a limited edition of 3,000 copies by Intrada Records.

Release

The U.S. debut of the film was backed by an extensive promotional campaign. Similar to Jaws 2, Topps produced collectible trading cards. Television stations were encouraged to broadcast the featurette Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die during prime time from July 16 to 22, 1983, coinciding with an advertisement placed in TV Guide. Nonetheless, Alan Landsburg Productions encountered legal challenges due to unauthorized use of ninety seconds from the National Geographic documentary The Sharks within the featurette.

Box office

During its debut weekend, the film earned $13.4 million, marking the second-largest opening of 1983. It was shown in 1,311 theaters and this initial revenue represented 29.5% of its overall box office total. Globally, the movie accumulated $88 million in ticket sales. Although it led the box office charts, Jaws 3-D generated nearly $100 million less than its immediate predecessor and fell short by approximately $300 million compared to the original installment. The concluding sequel in the series garnered roughly two-thirds of Jaws 3-D's total earnings. Following the first weekend, revenue dropped sharply by more than 40%, but certain theaters still reported solid earnings per screen even as it was withdrawn from cinemas.

Critical response

In contrast to the mixed feedback received by Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D was met predominantly with unfavorable reviews. Variety described it as "lukewarm," criticizing director Alves for not spending enough time focusing on the Great White shark. The film holds a low 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 3.5 out of 10, while Metacritic assigns it a score of 27 out of 100, signaling "generally unfavorable reviews." Audience polling by CinemaScore resulted in a "D+" grade. The use of 3D technology was broadly dismissed as a mere gimmick lacking effectiveness. Renowned critic Roger Ebert condemned the unrealistic sequences, and Gene Siskel pointed out the subpar 3D effects; both critics listed it among the year's poorest sequels. AllMovie commented that the original stereoscopic photography contributed some suspense that was lost in home video versions. Several reviewers expressed disappointment considering Richard Matheson's role in scripting.

A BBC reviewer found it "still somewhat entertaining," praising especially the sound design—highlighting a scene where an infant’s cry accompanies a shark’s demise. Lou Gossett Jr. remarked that he was "the sole cast member to endure the widespread negative critiques."

Screenwriting analyst Linda Aronson criticized the film’s lead character, Mike Brody, for remaining passive until late in the storyline and pointed out biological inaccuracies within the plot, such as errors about shark behavior and dolphin attacks.

Leonard Maltin classified the movie as a conventional Irwin Allen disaster production with a concept reminiscent of Revenge of the Creature (1955). The film received five Golden Raspberry Award nominations—Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Supporting Actor (Lou Gossett Jr.), Worst Screenplay, and Worst New Star (the dolphins)—but did not secure any wins.

Accolades

Awards and nominations
Award Category Nominee Result
4th Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Picture Universal Pictures Template:Nom
Worst Supporting Actor Louis Gossett, Jr Template:Nom
Worst Director Joe Alves Template:Nom
Worst Screenplay Richard Matheson Template:Nom
Worst New Star Cindy and Sandy, the dolphins Template:Nom

Home media

Universal initially released the movie on DVD in standard two-dimensional format on June 3, 2003, under the title Jaws 3, including only a theatrical trailer as an extra feature.

In 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment brought out a Blu-ray HD collection of the entire Jaws series, featuring Jaws 3-D in Blu-ray 3D format. A remastered version on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray was made available on July 23, 2024, alongside Jaws: The Revenge. This edition faced criticism due to its use of AI upscaling and digital noise reduction methods.

References

Bibliography

  • Linda Aronson, Scriptwriting updated: new and conventional ways of writing for the screen, Allen & Unwin, 2000, ISBN 978-1-876351-03-8
  • Marvin R. Bensman, Broadcast/cable regulation, University Press of America, 3rd ed., 1990, ISBN 978-0-8191-7661-5
  • Paul Downey, The Shark is Roaring – The Story of Jaws: The Revenge, BearManor Media, 2022, ISBN 978-1629339726
  • R. M. Hayes, 3D movies: a history and filmography of stereoscopic cinema, McFarland, 1998, ISBN 978-0-7864-0578-7
  • Diane C. Kachmar, Roy Scheider: a film biography, McFarland, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7864-1201-3
  • Randy Lofficier, Into the Twilight Zone: The Rod Serling Programme Guide, iUniverse, 2003, ISBN 978-0-595-27612-7
  • Kathleen Loock, "'Just when you thought it was safe...' The Jaws sequels", in !.Q. Hunter & Matthew Melia (eds.), The Jaws Book, Bloomsbury Academic, 2020, ISBN 978-1-5013-7386-2
  • Linda Lovely, "Jaws 3-D", American Cinematographer, American Society of Cinematographers, 1983, vol.64(7)
  • Leonard Maltin, Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide, Penguin, New York, 2008, ISBN 978-0-452-28978-9
  • Mark Thomas McGee, Beyond Ballyhoo: Motion Picture Promotion and Gimmicks, McFarland, 2001, ISBN 978-0-7864-1114-6
  • Jerome Pohlen, Oddball Florida: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places, Chicago Review Press, 2003, ISBN 978-1-55652-503-2
  • Tom Weaver, Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Producers and Writers of the 1940s Through 1960s, McFarland, 2006, ISBN 978-0-7864-2857-1
  • Derek Winnert, Radio Times Film & Video Guide 1994, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1993, ISBN 978-0-340-57477-5
  • Ray Zone, 3D filmmakers: Conversations with creators of stereoscopic motion pictures, Scarecrow Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-8108-5437-6

External links

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