1941 (1979)

Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.

From memory: Monstrously overblown spoof does have lots of brilliant bits and pieces and is occasionally funny, but, in every aspect, there is simply too much going on so that you really can take it all in

Halliwell*: "Absurdly over-budgeted manic farce which substitutes noise for wit and slapstick for comedy; it fails on every level."

Maltin**1/2: "Gargantuan comedy from the bigger-is-funnier school of filmmaking. Some excellent vignettes and dazzling special effects..., but on the whole suffers from overkill."

Jaws 2 (1978)

Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.

A sequel in full B movie quality in all departments; a far cry from the original.

Halliwell (no star): "Repetitive and feeble sequel aimed directly at the popcorn market."

Maltin**1/2: "...here comes another gratuitous sequel."

Jaws (1975)

When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.

A brilliantly executed monster movie that launched the director's even more brilliant career.

On renewed viewing: it is remarkable how an old-hat exploitation story is surehandedly turned into an exciting and highly entertaining movie, perfectly balancing humor and shocks.

Halliwell**: "In the exploitation-hungry seventies this film took more money than any other. In itself, despite genuinely suspenseful and frightening sequences, it is a slackly narrated and sometimes flatly handled thriller with an over-abundance of dialogue and, when it finally appears, a pretty unconvincing monster."

Maltin****: "A rare case of a bubble-gum story...scoring as a terrific movie...Hold on to your seats!"