Jaws 3 - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook

As we’ve previously covered Jaws III a couple of times now, I don’t have a whole lot to add - at least beyond the admission that I do actually like this movie. In 3-D, that is. Growing up without cable, this and Jaws 2 were on broadcast T.V. a lot and I watched it all the time never knowing it was originally in 3-D. It’s silly, dumb fun, and a rehash of a plot that Universal already played out with Revenge of the Creature - also in 3-D - back in 1955. It didn’t reinvent the wheel, it didn’t really expand the franchise, it just changed location and technology, and they made the fake shark REALLY big and even more fake looking with some gaudy pop-out effects. Big. Dumb. Summer Movie Fun. I watch it every year! 

Here's what Mr. E had to say about the film for our original Jaws 3 Blu-ray review:

Just goes to show exactly how noteworthy 'Jaws 3' truly is when the best thing I remember of it is a water skiing pyramid being chased by a great white shark. My memory of the second sequel is really more like fragments of assorted scenes. Most of them are of water skiers performing various feats while SeaWorld patrons watch in stunned horror at the sight of a shark's fin skimming the waters behind them. An unknown man — well, unknown at the time — hysterically yells and helps the performers out the water while also too scared to jump in and pull them out himself. The scene has been unforgettable all these years partly because it was released the same summer I visited SeaWorld in San Diego with friends, so there's that creepy coincidence factor. But also, and arguably more important, because it's sadly the production's only genuinely suspenseful moment. The rest of the movie is mostly spent on a rather irritating cat and mouse game with a ginormous shark trapped inside an artificial lagoon while park investors bicker of the financial benefits of exploiting the obvious bloodbath waiting to happen.

Understood from that point of view, perhaps it's not surprising I've all but forgotten much of this third entry in the franchise. For one thing, I completely forgot Dennis Quaid is even in the movie — he's the aforementioned unknown man assisting performers out the water. Quaid stars as Mike Brody, the older son of the original film's Sheriff Brody, working as the park manager. Or so, we're lead to assume he's the manager since no one outright describes why he spends much of the time running around the park doling out orders, but later, largely ignored when attempting to control the asinine decision-making of those around him, much like his father. In either case, he, at least, is deserving of a raise or promotion for saving the park and the lives of several paying customers. One such act of heroism sees Mike repairing damaged equipment in the glass-covered underwater tunnels attraction while the giant fish beasty slowly creeps out the watery darkness. In due course, Mike, and by extension Mr. Quaid, proves he is of the leading-man hero breed by hilariously bringing an end to the terror in similar fashion as his father. 

Speaking of which, this brings up one small troubling issue behind a plot that took three writers to complete, one of which happens to shockingly be the legendary author Richard Matheson. The Brody family seems to have some of the worst imaginable luck with fish and large bodies of open water. You'd think after two terrifying experiences, they would avoid water for the rest of their lives. Younger brother Sean (John Putch) has the right idea by deliberately studying in Colorado, especially after fighting for his life in the previous installment, which has developed into a fear of the ocean like his father. Visiting his brother and just when he's striking a romance with a very young and cute Lea Thompson, he's once again assaulted by a shark at SeaWorld of all places! Meanwhile, Quaid's Mike battles the powers that be, from Louis Gossett, Jr who cares more about his career as the designer of the underwater attraction and a pair of daredeviling oceanographer filmmakers (Simon MacCorkindale and P. H. Moriarty). Also standing against him but later supportive is Mike's marine biologist girlfriend Kay (Bess Armstrong).

Rather than risking the franchise with an entirely fresh and original idea, the filmmakers simply chuck the same old chum at audiences. It's not an exact copy, but 'Jaws 3' essentially follows a similar blueprint as the two previous films. Notwithstanding, I admit being slightly amused learning how Mike and Sean have grown into adulthood after two encounters with a great white, but the plot frankly treads on shallows waters, failing to recapture much of the charm, thrills and suspense of its predecessors. Instead, the movie arrives on shore with an unintentional air of comedic badness, starting with the inadvertently funny explanation of how the wide-mouthed monster accidentally swims into the artificial lagoon. The shark that was, at first, believed to be the ferocious killer is actually the baby, and the big, angry momma followed behind it! Alternatively known as 'Jaws 3-D,' the producers capitalized on the suddenly revived but very brief interest in 3D movies at the time. And thanks to some decently strong camerawork by director Joe Alves, the added third dimension is the movie's saving grace and is ultimately the best way to watch it.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

Jaws 3 takes a bite out of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for the first time with a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital SteelBook release. Pressed on a BD-66 disc, the included BD-50 disc is the same as before with the 3-D version preserved as a bonus feature. The disc loads to a static image main menu with a basic navigation option as the John Williams Shark Theme plays over. Inside the SteelBook, each disc gets its own tray to rest on, the 1080p disc has updated disc art but is essentially the same as before. The SteelBook is an overall okay effort following the attempt to “mirror” the artwork from the Shark’s POV like they did for Jaws 2.

So before we get into the nitty-gritty, Jaws 3 was never going to be a good prospect for 4K UHD. 1980s-era 3-D films, by and large, were shot on either the single-strip StereoVision 3-D system or the ArriVision 3-D system. Jaws 3 was at least partially shot on both. Unlike the 1950s stereographic 3-D camera rigs, only one camera was used, employing a special lens system that captured both the right eye and left eye image onto a single frame. This saved on the cost of film stock, but it diminished overall quality - especially for the 2-D version that typically only used the left eye image (although it appears they may have used the right eye for this transfer). So in any given shot of this film in 2-D you’re really only seeing half the overall image quality. That’s why it’s never looked great on disc in 2-D and sadly it still doesn’t. If anything it may now look worse.

This release is its own can of worms. Because these camera systems were prone to ghosting and odd parallax artifacts let alone clarity issues if an actor didn’t hit their focal mark exactly, it seems Universal has gone down the algorithmic AI sharpening route to clean up the problem spots - and it’s painfully obvious when it shows. Making this transfer all the more problematic is this effect was intermittently used. When the sharpening isn’t employed, or as vigorously as others, the film can actually look quite good in 2-D with clear details, fine lines, and a healthy appearance of film grain. 

Then comes a cleaned-up shot and the actors almost look like rotoscoped caricatures with weirdly defined crows feet around the eyes and laugh lines. Some shots of the SeaWorld crowds, there simply wasn’t enough information for a lot of the deep background faces and now instead of just being indistinct and softly defined, they look like odd misshapen mutant people. Some people even look like their facial features were drawn into the film. This effect is especially daffy for the already very blurry and soft optical effects shots like when the yellow submarine (minus the Beatles) drifts past the underwater control room window and there are layers upon layers of optical effects. Simply put, it was never a good candidate for 4K, and this sharpening tech didn’t do it any favors. 

With that, I will say the HDR10 grade is quite lovely! This is a very bright and colorful movie and primaries really pop wonderfully. Skin tones are healthy throughout without issue. Black levels for the untouched scenes can look terrific giving the image a sense of depth that was lost when converted down to 2-D. A lot of the blooming of past discs has also been mitigated. Ultimately this is an intermittently beautiful and frequently ugly 4K HDR transfer that does this film no favors. 

Now the good thing to say about this release is that the new Atmos audio track is very entertaining - it’s also the only audio track we get. No legacy audio options have been included. I was really surprised to hear how much punch Alan Parker’s score delivers. The soundscape for this film (above and below the water) is quite impressive. Right from start, the soundscape is active and engaging making great uses of the front/center and surround channels. Height channels are often used for spacing and atmosphere, but there are a number of clever instances where they get pinpoint effects. My favorite of these moments is whenever big momma shark is looking up at the waterskiers or later the folks floundering in their innertubes, that height effect is really slick. Roars of boat engines lend well for some good LFE rumble. All around I appreciate the effort to upgrade the audio and give this film some more punch. That said, it’d been nice if they included some legacy tracks as well, but Universal isn’t the best at that.

Well… it is Jaws 3 - there really aren’t any bonus features to speak of. The included Blu-ray does list the 3-D version as an extra feature, but in my glasses that’s not an extra so much as an essential. 

4K UHD Disc

• Trailer

Some movies are destined for 4K UHD glory, others, simply are never going to be great candidates for the format. Jaws 3 happens to fall into the latter camp. Given how this incredibly entertaining but deliriously silly sequel was shot, it already had a number of limitations stacked against it. Compounding an otherwise decent effort is the intermittent use of some kind of algorithmic AI sharpening tool. Intended to “fix” some of the visually weaker spots, it actually makes things worse for wear - and in some instances comically so! A solid HDR grade can’t overcome the visual issues this disc unloads. Helping ease the pain is a fairly robust and enjoyable Atmos audio track, but again, that’s not enough to warrant a recommendation when the 1080p 3-D is still the best at-home experience out there. Unless you really need it for the collection or find it cheap, I have to say Skip It.