Jaws the Revenge (1987) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - July 12, 1987

Oof. I went to see the very first matinee screening of Jaws the Revenge at the Alhambra Theatre on Friday, July 17th. Why? Because Jaws is my favorite movie of all time and, back then, I had the energy to give just about any movie a try.

There was a small group of people a few rows behind me that, before the movie started, joked about how this movie could not be worse than the previous Sea World set entry. They were wrong, of course. So very, very wrong.

This was also the first time a movie snapped me out of a fog of denial regarding what I was watching. To this day I vividly remember the moment when the film cut to a lackluster shot of the mechanical shark flopping in the water and I thought, "That's right, this a Jaws movie." The shock, dismay, and utter horror that washed over me as I realized that I had forgotten what movie I was supposed to be watching was physically palpable and soul crushing.

I also remember the slack-jawed walk of shame and resentment at being seen leaving the theatre after this comically inept abomination had ended.

At least I got to see the film's original ending on the big screen.