YMMV / Jaws 3-D

• Awesome Music:
  • The love theme, both versions, are quite nice, and the score for the climax is far more exciting then the actual climax itself.
  • The opening theme does a good job at taking John Williams' classic theme, and adding a new spin to make it sound like it’s actually from a theme park.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Kelly, Sean’s vibrant water-skier girlfriend and fellow drinking game player, is liked even by many who felt the film as a whole was weak.
  • The unnamed guide in the third act. When her group gets trapped after the tunnels lose watertight integrity, she remains cool and professional. She is able to keep the group calm, has them huddle to keep warm, tells them to take shallow breaths, and leads them to safety when the tunnels are cleared. Give this woman a hand.
• Fan-Preferred Cut Content: Some people who have read the first draft of the script feel it is better than the final film in every way, with the possible exception of Kelly dying, and could have been the best of the sequels. Phillip and Bouchard get more interesting dialogue and characterization, the bond between the Brody brothers and their trauma over the events in Amity are explored more, Mike and Kathryn have scenes planning their wedding, and the death scenes are more suspenseful and gritty. Since the final film is criticized for not having enough Character Development or scares, these changes can feel unwise.
• Fridge Brilliance: The fact that there's not a single fatality when the shark starts attacking various ski performances becomes slightly less egregious when you consider that every worker, employee, and performer in the lagoon is an experienced swimmer or boater.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Watch this film after seeing Blackfish and you won't be able to not notice the sickly orca dorsal fins.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Seven years after the film's release, a Jaws ride opened with Universal Studios Florida in 1990, just down the street from SeaWorld, where this film was set.
  • This film wouldn't be the last time a shark is depicted attacking Orlando, as in 2015, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! had sharks unleashing mayhem at Universal Orlando.
• Narm:
  • Because the film was made during the 3D craze of the 1980s, many shots are gimmicks designed to appear as though objects are coming right at you, like Mike firing a harpoon at the camera or the entrance to the underwater tunnels. Needless to say, without seeing it in 3D, they look quite ridiculous.
  • In one scene we see the big shark's fin rise up right behind a group of water skiers. Which would be pretty scary until you realize that given how huge the shark is (about 35 feet) her mouth would have to be about 15 feet in front of the skiers she is supposedly about to eat.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • Dennis Quaid starred as Michael Brody - about three months before the release of The Right Stuff.
  • Lea Thompson made her film debut here. As above, three months later All The Right Moves came out.
• Sequelitis: Many people argue on which is worse, this or the one with a stalking, and roaring, shark.
• So Bad, It's Good: Many years later, however, and it’s still fun to watch as long as you don’t take it too seriously.
• So Okay, It's Average: Those who do take it seriously, though, will be more likely to have this opinion—very sedate and low-quality, yet not terribly offensive.
• Special Effect Failure:
  • Plenty of shots of the shark is this, particularly the scene where it breaks the aquarium's glass shield (it even illustrates the Film subpage). This film is a poster child for 3D effects done wrong.
  • When the shark blows up, its intestine and teeth pop out from nowhere. And the explosion accompanying it looks like it's from an Atari 2600.
  • Let's not forget the floating fish head at the beginning. Or the mini-sub that exposes part of the chroma-keyed background through its cockpit. Or the constant reuse of Mike and the dolphins swimming away from the shark. Or the final shot with the incredibly fake dolphins.
  • This proved to be an issue behind the scenes as well. The original company attached to the project shot the effects in video, and while initial tests were deemed promising, the tech was still very much in its infancy and Joe Alves opted to switch to more traditional optical composites. Unfortunately this meant the effects had to be Christmas Rushed with only 4 months before release for over a hundred shots, resulting in the final product as seen in theaters. With many of the crew at the first company having revealed in interviews that they're glad most of the blame would lay in the laps of Praxis Film Works, the studio which replaced it.
• Suspiciously Similar Song: The main theme sounds awfully similar to the theme to Challenge Of The Go Bots.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: As poor as most of the effects are, the body of Overman on the autopsy table is impressively lifelike. Perhaps a little TOO lifelike for its own good.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: The big shark is this to some, as she's technically a mother who's mad about the death of her baby.
• Vindicated by History: The film's reception to the general public has had a bizarre zigzag through history. On release, critics were mixed to negative at best, but the general audience did enjoy it. Then, especially as the 3D shots began to look more and more dated, sentiments greatly soured. But as the years went by with both the sequel and many other killer shark films being poorly made and by-the-books Jaws 1 and 2 rip-offs, Jaws 3-D's reception has warmed. The dated special effects have also gained some love, though not necessarily for intended reasons.

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