My Name is Jo and I love Jaws 4.

OK so, it’s not a cinematic masterpiece, and yes, I know it’s full of continuity errors. In fact apparently, if you look close enough you can even see the stitches holding the shark together. I must say though that despite more viewings than I care to admit, I have never spotted this myself.  The thing is, Jaws 4 at its blood and rum soaked heart, is a B Movie. Further more, people who watch B movies and complain about continuity errors are like people who ask for cutlery at a fast food restaurant.

If you happen to be a massive Jaws geek like me, you will probably notice little references to the original the picture of the late Chief Brodie on the wall in the sheriffs office, or the clever, well as clever as this film gets, reproduction the of the scene with Brodie at the dinner table with his young son, reshot with a new generation. It’s a cute nod to the first film, and that really was a cinematic masterpiece, which if you’ve ever had to sit through even one film studies lecture, you will know.

Lorraine Gary revives her role as long suffering Ellen Brodie, a woman who has spent the best part of her life being harassed by a shark, and finally has enough. With fluctuating hysteria, only explained by either the menopause or a shark trying to eat her family. Despite suffering from PTSD so advanced that she is experiencing flashbacks of events she didn’t even witness, it is the widow Brodie who finally decides to put a stop to Bruce’s reign of terror. However inevitably she needs some help from a new boyfriend, cue Michael Caine

Caine’s portrayal of Hoagie, slick boozehound, possible drug smuggler and all round nice guy, that really makes this movie. Whether he is introducing Ellen Brodie to Bahama Mamas, or climbing out of the ocean in a shirt dryer than the Sahara, in a film that should really be all about the shark he steals the show. I am not sure if the reports that, despite missing collecting an Oscar to reshoot the ending, he has never watched the film are true, but I would go so far as to suggest it is the high point of his acting career.

It’s probably a fair point that the other characters are largely forgettable, being either obsessed with sex in welding sheds or under water snails. I wish the shark ate more of them.

Jaws 4 is a brilliant comfort movie, a film for watching curled up on the sofa with tub of ice cream or giant pizza after a bad day. If cheering up is what you need, it is worth watching for the banana boat scene alone. In fact the only true reason I can find to critique this film is the lack of well, shark attacks. For a film about…shark attacks, you can’t help feeling shortchanged by the number who actually fall prey to the animatronic beast.


You can find me tweeting about watching Jaws @JoMarieOReilly and probably blogging about watching Jaws at www.slapperverse.com