--- title: "Jaws: The Revenge" year: 1987 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/jaws-the-revenge" fi1m_score: 32 critics_score: 30 critics_reviews: 14 published: "2026-09-16T14:29:23.722643+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T14:30:01.255094+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Jaws: The Revenge (1987) Directed by Joseph Sargent · 1h 29m · MPA PG-13 · Adventure, Thriller, Horror **Fi1m score: 32** · Critics 30 from 14 reviews *In a sentence:* Michael Caine conducts a courtship while a shark takes the family name personally > Lorraine Gary and Michael Caine bring some warmth to a poor shark thriller that struggles to make either its revenge plot or its attacks convincing. Even Michael Small’s effective score can only do so much. ## Synopsis Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary) believes a shark is deliberately targeting her family. Michael Brody (Lance Guest) is among the Brodys facing the danger, while Hoagie Newcombe (Michael Caine) brings the possibility of romance into Ellen’s life. She wants to keep her family safe, but sees the animal’s behaviour as a vendetta rather than a series of attacks. Her growing involvement with Hoagie Newcombe offers a distraction from the water. The threat of the shark keeps bringing her attention back to the family she fears it has singled out. ## Review *Jaws: The Revenge* is a poor thriller whose cast occasionally makes the time pass pleasantly. Joseph Sargent directs a story in which a shark appears to have developed a grievance against the Brody family, and takes that grievance seriously. Ellen Brody’s fear for her family could hold our attention without much explanation of the animal. Michael De Guzman’s screenplay keeps asking us to accept the shark’s motive without supplying enough suspense to stop us questioning it. Lorraine Gary plays Ellen Brody’s anxiety with conviction, and we remain sympathetic even when the film keeps returning to the same fear. Michael Caine, playing Hoagie Newcombe, supplies some welcome ease in the romance, and their scenes suggest how much better the film might work if it let its people relax. We were glad of that company, because the warmth between them offers relief from the repeated insistence that this shark means business. The performances make the family worth worrying about, which the attacks ought to have been able to use. Instead, the film spends too long waiting for the next attack, then has trouble making the attack legible. Michael Brown’s editing breaks the violence into abrupt fragments, with noise doing much of the work that a clear view of the danger ought to do. We were bored during the waits, then irritated when the cutting made it difficult to follow the action. At 89 minutes, this should be a brisk piece of work, but its pauses do not make the water more threatening. John McPherson’s photography leaves us too much opportunity to examine the creature’s artificial appearance. Once we start noticing a model, the characters’ distress becomes difficult to share. John J. Lloyd’s production design is a less obtrusive contribution, though the settings cannot make the thinly written family scenes interesting by themselves. The shark is meant to arrive as a threat, and too often we find ourselves assessing whether it looks capable of moving under its own power. Michael Small’s score supplies a sense of threat that the images repeatedly fail to sustain. It is one of the few elements we would happily hear doing its job in a better version of this story. Joseph Sargent also returns to [*Jaws*](https://film.one/film/jaws) through flashbacks and reused images, inviting a comparison this film has no reason to encourage. Familiar footage interrupts the effort to care about Ellen Brody’s present predicament, when the film already struggles to keep our attention on her. A revenge-seeking shark need not be a fatal premise; creature features have room for nonsense, provided somebody knows how to stage it. The problem is how solemnly this one proceeds, with too little surprise or humour to make its absurdity enjoyable. We agree with most critics about the failures, though the performances and music deserve more patience than the plot. Anyone coming for enjoyable nonsense should be warned that Michael Caine cannot keep the whole evening going by being agreeable. *Fi1m score 32, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics dismiss Jaws: The Revenge as a poorly executed sequel whose shark vendetta premise produces more disbelief than suspense. Eleven of the fourteen reviews are negative, with complaints centred on implausible plotting, unconvincing effects and a shortage of effective scares. The limited praise clusters around the cast, particularly Michael Caine, whose charm gives several critics something to enjoy. Lorraine Gary earns some support too, though the assessments of her performance are divided. The disagreement is chiefly over whether the absurdity makes the film entertaining. Collider supplies the sole positive assessment, embracing the shark’s behaviour as that of a slasher villain and treating the excess as part of the fun. Paste finds some similar pleasures without calling it good. That creates a wide spread of scores, but little uncertainty about the prevailing view: most critics find the pacing slack, the action confused and the reliance on the original film wearying. ### Reviews we read (14) - **Little White Lies**, Padraig Cotter (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film resoundingly mediocre with some redeeming qualities in the cast and a few effective sequences, despite its rushed production and silly plot. They single out the performances, particularly Lorraine Gary and Michael Caine, and the score for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/in-defence-of-jaws-the-revenge) - **The New York Times**, Caryn James (35/100, inferred): The critic finds it a color-by-numbers version of the original lacking intensity, with too much reverence for the first film and predictable action focused on family versus shark rather than quirky characters. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/18/movies/film-jaws-the-revenge-the-fourth-in-the-series.html) - **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (3.1/10): The review calls it a preposterous fourth entry with a laughably inept plot about a personal vendetta by the shark. It notes silly elements like the shark attacking an aircraft and criticizes the neurotic lead performance while praising Michael Caine's cameo. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-gs6ac5/jaws-the-revenge/) - **Time Out**, RS (30/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as focusing on a vendetta against the family by the shark, with mostly waiting for attacks and some attempted symbolism that fails, leading to a messy ending. They single out the irritating child character and the overall silly, preposterous nature. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/jaws-the-revenge) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (**): The review notes that pacing leaves a lot to be desired and the attack sequences resemble the view from inside a washing machine due to jagged cuts and noise. It praises some performances but criticizes insufficient development for key characters. [Read](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/jaws-the-revenge-1200427215/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (20/100, inferred): The critic calls it a bad, stupid and incompetent ripoff. He singles out the fake-looking shark models and the absurd plot devices, including a revenge-seeking shark and illogical scenes. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/jaws-the-revenge-1987) - **Slant Magazine**, Ted Pigeon (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film one of the least competent entries in the series, criticizing its half-hearted execution of the revenge premise and failure to deliver on tension or kills despite the title. He singles out its heavy, lazy reliance on nostalgia for the original Jaws through flashbacks and reused shots as especially misguided and emblematic of its emptiness. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/summer-of-87-jaws-the-revenge-this-time-its-impersonal/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (15/100, inferred): The critic says it is dumb beyond belief, hollow, bloody and nonsensical, a vanity project that bottoms out the notion of the escapist summer movie. She singles out the unconvincing effects and performances, while noting a few credible turns amid the mess. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-20-ca-3110-story.html) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (10/100, inferred): The critic calls it significantly worse than the rest of the Jaws series and one of the most egregious belly-flops in recent cinema. They single out the bloodless, soppy and much-rewritten ending that makes no sense. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/jaws-revenge-review/) - **Collider**, Shawn Van Horn (80/100, inferred): The critic celebrates the film as a fun, over-the-top 1980s slasher where the shark behaves like a vengeful human killer stalking the Brody family. They single out the absurd psychic connection between Ellen and the shark, along with the bonkers final death scene, as highlights that make it entertaining schlock. [Read](https://collider.com/jaws-the-revenge-movie/) - **Paste**, Trace Sauveur (50/100, inferred): The critic ranks it third out of four Jaws films and calls it not a good film but one whose outlandish premise and bizarre turns make it memorable and more entertaining than a straight rehash. They single out the rushed production's manic glee, psychic shark connection, and Michael Caine's role as sources of its schlocky charm. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sharks/every-jaws-movie-ranked) - **Film Stories**, John Upton (2/5): The critic finds the film very bad overall but unintentionally amusing in parts, singling out Michael Caine's charming performance in the romance subplot as a highlight. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/news/the-1980s-films-of-michael-caine-jaws-the-revenge-1987) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (10/100, inferred): The film is a damp squib bereft of energy that wastes its cast; the critic singles out the silly premise, lack of wit or sophistication, and incompetent ending for complaint. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/jaws-the-revenge-1987-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) - **/Film**, Jeremy Smith (10/100, inferred): The critic calls it a deathly serious failure with a ridiculous premise and inept execution; singles out the bizarre TV-edit narration and exploding-shark ending for complaint. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/896209/the-jaws-movies-ranked-from-masterpiece-to-garbage-fire/) ## Details - **Director:** Joseph Sargent - **Director:** Joseph Sargent - **Writer:** Michael De Guzman - **Cinematography:** John McPherson - **Editor:** Michael Brown - **Music:** Michael Small - **Production design:** John J. Lloyd - **Producer:** Joseph Sargent - **Cast:** Lorraine Gary as Ellen Brody; Lance Guest as Michael Brody; Mario Van Peebles as Jake; Michael Caine as Hoagie Newcombe; Karen Young as Carla Brody; Judith Barsi as Thea Brody; Lynn Whitfield as Louisa; Mitchell Anderson as Sean Brody - **Runtime:** 1h 29m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 17 July 1987 - **Genres:** Adventure, Thriller, Horror - **Budget:** $23 million - **Box office:** $52 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMXarjDD86E ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, uhd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor 1988: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress 1988: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director 1988: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture 1988: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay 1988: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor - Razzie Award 1988: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor - Razzie Award (nominated) - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Visual Effects 1988: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Visual Effects (won) ## If you liked this - *The Birds* (1963): Ordinary places become frightening through patient staging and attacks that need no motive - *Alligator* (1980): Creature-feature nonsense handled with wit, clear action and affection for its human targets - *Razorback* (1984): A murderous boar gets the threatening landscape and visual conviction this shark lacks - *The Host* (2006): Another endangered family, with enough personality to matter when the creature arrives - *Crawl* (2019): Family tensions and hungry alligators share a confined space, with considerably less waiting --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/jaws-the-revenge