Although it failed to approach the groundbreaking $260 million US gross of its predecessor, 1978’s Jaws 2 proved to be more than respectable at the box office. $102 million was downright stellar in 1978.

Given studios expected some “audience loss” with each sequel, 1983’s Jaws 3 earned about what one might expect. Nonetheless, I imagine its lackluster $42 million gross disappointed the suits, especially since the film hit screens with a gimmick: 3D effects.

After two straight flicks that took place in New England, Jaws 3 moves south. Set at Sea World in Florida, we see the park’s new “Undersea Kingdom” exhibit. It boasts Plexiglas tunnels that permit patrons to get up close and personal with aquatic life.

Along the way, a baby shark strays into the Sea World waters. The folks there try to keep him alive in captivity but he eventually dies.

This doesn’t set well with the little one’s mama, a 35-foot Great White who comes after her offspring. This leads to mass mayhem as she goes on the attack.

In that synopsis, you’ll notice I didn’t mention the names of any characters. That’s because they’re completely irrelevant.

Jaws 3 attempts a connection to its predecessors in that it brings back the offspring of the first two movies’ Chief Brody. We find new actors, though, as Dennis Quaid plays older brother Mike, while John Putch portrays Sean.

I guess the filmmakers felt they needed to boast some direct connection to the first two movies, but I think the inclusion of the Brody boys adds nothing to Jaws 3. If anything, it feels stupid - how many times are these kids going to be attacked by sharks? Doesn’t it stretch credulity that they undergo their third close encounter with Great Whites?

Yes, it does, and the anonymous nature of the roles doesn’t help. There’s no real attachment to the prior movies here, so the guys are Brodys in name only.

Everyone else in the film remains one-dimensional as well. We learn little about the characters and we don’t care.

Honestly, the two main dolphins seem more compelling than any of the human participants. At least they display some spirit!

When I settled in to watch Jaws 3, I knew I was in trouble early. The opening credits feature an extended shot of a floating fish head intended to dazzle us with its 3D elements.

We’re forced to stare at the fish head for what feels like an eternity, so the shot exists solely for its 3D goofiness. Many more images of that sort occur, and not only do they look silly, but also they impact the film’s flow and pacing.

Or they would impact the film’s flow and pacing if that side of Jaws 3 didn’t already stink. The movie jumps from one setting to another without logic, and it fails to mesh these elements in a concise manner.

Entire subplots – like the fate of those stuck in the Undersea Kingdom – go missing for extended periods, though you’re unlikely to notice. You’d have to care about the characters to actually pay attention to their absence, right?

I understand why Jaws 3 got made: 3D went through an early 1980s resurgence, and it seemed like a good candidate for that treatment. I can’t figure out why Sea World participated in it, though.

I guess they felt that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but did they really want to be portrayed as an operation that cares more about profits than customers? Did they really want to be viewed as a place where one might be devoured by a shark?

Probably not, and I expect they regretted their decision. I hope all involved with Jaws 3 suffer from similar regrets, as they turned out a simply dreadful movie that craps on the series’ legacy.

Jaws 2 was no classic, but it certainly didn’t harm the franchise. On the other hand, Jaws 3 offers a laughable piece of nonsense with no redeeming values other than perhaps for campy laughs.

Jaws 3 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. An erratic transfer, some shots looked good but much of the image appeared iffy.

Sharpness varied. Much of the movie showed reasonable delineation, but plenty of soft shots appeared, perhaps partly as an artifact of the original photography.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws didn’t become an issue.

However, grain reduction did appear to flare up, especially during interiors. While the movie occasionally sported healthy grain, darker shots tended to feel smoothed out and plastic. Even some bright exteriors came with this effect.

Colors usually looked pretty full but the processing techniques could make fleshtones look yellow and jaundiced. At their best, the hues seemed fairly positive and got a jolt from HDR, but the palette seemed less vibrant than one would expect from a film set in Florida.

Blacks were decent, but shadows tended to appear dense and thick. Some of that came from “day for night” shots, and underwater elements could be tough to discern.

HDR gave whites and contrast a little kick. Some of the problems here probably reflected the source, but too much processing of the scan created issues.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the movie’s remixed Dolby Atmos audio went a little bonkers. While a prior track used the various channels in a reasonably tasteful manner, the Atmos version seemed over the top.

This meant too much information from the back channels. The soundscape turned too aggressive and that became a distraction, as the material rarely integrated well and it didn’t feel natural.

In terms of audio quality, my main complaint came from some awkward looping at times, as a few scenes demonstrated lines that sounded artificial and distant. However, most of the dialogue was acceptably natural and clear, so those instances occurred infrequently.

Otherwise, quality was acceptable. Music didn’t boast great range, but the score sounded reasonably clear and concise.

Effects also seemed decent. I noticed a smidgen of distortion in some louder scenes, but these elements normally appeared acceptably accurate, and a bit of low-end punch came through as well.

Overall audio quality seemed appropriate for a movie from 1983. Unfortunately, the over-the-top Atmos remix became a distraction.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? As noted, the Atmos version seemed too aggressive, so I preferred the BD’s 2.0 track.

The UHD looked better defined and boasted both fewer print flaws and stronger colors than the BD, but it also brought more grain reduction. I’d still probably prefer the UHD’s image to the BD’s but neither impressed.

In addition to the film’s trailer, this Blu-ray includes both 2D and 3D versions of the flick. As far as the 3D elements go, Jaws 3 comes with a lot of broad, in-your-face visuals, and that’s both a strength and a weakness.

On the positive side, the movie will make “popout” fans happy. It also provides an excellent sense of depth.

Really, that’s the area that works best, as the movie comes with an exceptionally deep sense of setting. At times it looks like you could stick your hand in your TV because the visuals show such realistic dimensionality.

This comes with a price, though – or it does for me, at least, as this may be a “Your Mileage May Vary” situation. In my case, the 3D image spreads in such a broad way that it becomes tough for me to view as a whole.

On occasion, I’d find it difficult to resolve the image, by which I mean I’d lose focus. So much active 3D imagery appears that it’s tough to take it all in, and my eyes didn’t know where to go, so the whole thing would turn blurry.

This didn’t happen a lot, and as noted, it may not affect everyone. However, it became a distraction for me on occasion, and the only issue that prevents me from giving the 3D image the highest marks.

The original Jaws remains a justly celebrated classic, while Jaws 2 provided moderate thrills. Jaws 3 squanders any continued good will and provides a thoroughly miserable, absurd cinematic experience. The 4K UHD offers erratic visuals and an overcooked Atmos remix as well as virtually no supplements. Stupid, pointless and poorly made, it’s a disaster from start to finish, though 3D fans will enjoy the wildly “in your face” presentation.