Believe it or not, before “Jurassic Park” got ruined by greedy attempts to capitalize on sequels, another Spielberg classic — “Jaws” — had its legacy marred by pointless continuations. Like “Jurassic Park,” “Jaws” was such a cultural phenomenon and record-breaking beast at the box office that Universal wanted to do everything it could to make as much as possible through unneeded sequels.
Regrettably, though, the sequels only detracted from the first film’s success and turned the highly praised horror-thriller into a total joke. The sharp decline started with “Jaws 3-D” — a shameless attempt by Universal to be in line with the trend of 3-D making a comeback. In a review for Gone With The Twins, writer Mike Massie discussed how the film was the beginning of the end for the franchise by calling it, “an opportunity to capitalize on pre-sold audiences and the trend of 3D gimmicks for not only sequels but also, specifically, horror movie follow-ups.”
However, the follow-up — “Jaws: The Revenge” — was the worst of them all. The film was a disaster in every facet and was widely panned for its baffling story filled with illogical psychic connections between a shark and a human and unbelievable efforts of revenge. There’s no film like “Jaws” that’s had its legacy ruined more by money-chasing sequels — which turned it into a franchise that never needed to exist.
