Jaws Unmade
Published by Bicep Books, 2020. 341 pages
By John LeMay

One only needs to look at all the rip-offs and inspired titles from a particular film to really know how successful it was. Granted, for Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film Jaws, it might have some to do with the box office profits as well. As we all know, movie monsters only die at the box office, which means if it made money, there will be a sequel. Or two. Or more, until the cash cow, or shark as the case may be, is completely dead and resting at the bottom of the ocean. Now we have to remember that in the mid ’70s, sequel-itis hadn’t really spread in Hollywood, but the money Jaws made was just too much to leave well enough alone, so we got Jaws 2 in 1978. Now the story of that production is enough for a book on its own. In fact, there is! Jaws 2: The Making of the Hollywood Sequel, by Louis R. Pisano & Michael A. Smith, is essential for any fan of the Jaws series, not only because it’s on the sequel, but you get a real insight of how much the producers have control of what the final movie is going to be. And Pisano and Smith books gives plenty of info.

But let’s get back to our review of this new book, by John LeMay. Because there were a ton of different movies that were inspired by or just blatantly ripped off, that is enough for a book on its own, which is where LeMay has come in. This amazing book not only covers the films that got made, but also the countless scripts and almost-productions that were on the verge of becoming actual movies. If you thought there already was a lot of knock-offs, wait until you read about the ones that either never made it, or the ones that did, but were dramatically different before the final finished product.

LeMay covers films in their different stages, such as the aforementioned Jaws 2, giving us a look at the different variations of the script, as well as for Jaws 3, which originally was set to be a comedy! You’ll read about inspired films from different countries, such as from Italy’s The Last Shark (1981) and Cruel Jaws (1995) to Bollywood’s Aatank (1996), to films that never got made, such as Hammer’s Nessie or Bert I. Gordon’s Devil Fish. Each one filled with as much information about the production that you want to know. Even the worse descriptions make me wish some of these actually were made, because you know it was going to be entertaining. And LeMay doesn’t sugar coat these films either, plainly stating on their “quality” but also shows where the entertainment value can still be found.

There is even a bit of coverage on non-shark movies but were inspired directly from Jaws, such as Grizzly and it’s almost-lost sequel, plus a few killer crocodile and alligator movies, not to mention a few giant squids and killer whales!

Needless to say that if you are a fan of the Jaws series, and even more so, of the films that followed in its wake, then this book is not only a must read, but I can guarantee you that you’ll be seeking a lot of these titles that were made, either to re-visit or watch for the first time.