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 remains decent nowadays, but it was downright stellar in 1978.

Given studios expected some “audience loss” with each sequel, 1983’s Jaws 3 earns 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 shots 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 regret their decision now. 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 Blu-ray 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, probably as an artifact of the original photography.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, but moderate edge enhancement became visible throughout the film. In terms of print flaws, I saw a handful of small specks but nothing major.

Like everything else, colors varied. I’d think a movie with so many daytime water shots would look great, but at best, the hues seemed good.

They often came across as bland and overdone. The hues weren’t bad, but they lacked impact.

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. Some of the problems here reflected the source, but I suspect a better transfer would compensate for many of the issues.

At least the DTS-HD MA 2.0 soundtrack of Jaws 3 fared better. 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.

For much of the film, the soundfield seemed to be largely monaural. The flick’s first act didn’t do a whole lot to broaden sonic horizons; other than music and some general ambience, the soundscape remained subdued.

This changed as the movie progressed and the story became more active. Eventually the track boasted some pretty good delineation across the front speakers, as the shark-related action opened up matters in a positive way.

The surrounds added decent reinforcement as well. They had little unique material to display, but they contributed to a nice sense of ambience, especially during the underwater shots. Though the audio of Jaws 3 didn’t dazzle, it worked well for a movie from 1983.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the DVD version? Audio seemed a bit more robust, while visuals appeared cleaner, tighter and more vibrant. Even with the Blu-ray’s concerns, it offered an obvious upgrade over the problematic DVD.

In addition to the film’s trailer, this Blu-ray includes both 2D and 3D versions of the flick. The picture comments above reflect the 2D image – how does the 3D compare?

In terms of picture quality, the two seem similar. Though the 3D version comes with the same drawbacks as the 2D, the stereo image actually helps “hide” those concerns to some degree. This makes it a bit more appealing in the long run.

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, and 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 Blu-ray offers good audio but suffers from erratic visuals 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.

To rate this film, visit the original review of JAWS 3