I was only 6 when this came out and could not see it in theatres. I was not a happy kid..ha. So I would like to revist that memory through you. What was it like to see this in the theatres? Thanks so much!
shareI was around 6 too when I saw it at the theatre. It was the first Jaws movie I ever saw. I remember my neighbor coming over the morning I went telling me about the movie and how the teeth fly out at you at the end of the movie. My family and I went that night and we had a great time! Afterwards I remember it being endlessly played on cable. It's one of those movies that instantly transports me to my childhood.
shareAwesome! Thanks for sharing your memories. Thats great!
shareThe only Jaws movie I saw in theaters was Jaws 4.
I first saw Jaws 3 when it premiered on HBO back in '83 or early '84.
I was 17. The 3d effect were terrible. I saw most of the 3d films released in the early 1980's. "Friday the 13th Part 3" had the best effects. This film not only was the 3d disappointing but everything else was about the film was worse.
shareI was about 10 and rather uncritical of stupid spectacles, but the 3D effects were so bad that I left the theater very irritated. The original Jaws scared me out of my swim trunks, and I thought "Oh my god...jaws plus 3D means a big ugly shark is going to pop out of the screen and attack me. This will be scary!" Boy was I wrong. I still find it remarkable how badly they screwed this up. It was a great situation in which to implement 3D technology, and it was about as bad a botch job as I can remember.
I also distinctly remember how horrified I was at the cheesy ending. Lots of people had just been eaten alive, and the film tries to manipulate us into being all misty eyed that the dolphins survived. Lame!
The 3D experience was fascinating enough for me to put aside the film's weaknesses.Now looking back 25 years ago,I can say that it had its moments although my favourite was the 2nd part(I have this thing for it just because it was the first to watch,even before the Spielberg classic).I still watch it occasionally with 3D glasses on my LCD screen and it's fun enough.A big plus is definitely the presence of the actors-first time I ever saw Dennis Quaid on screen.
shareNay, they didn't screw this up for me. The theatrical experience was pretty explosive. I was intimidated by the film from the start, as I had seen the first two before hand. I was about seven or so. Anyway, I loved it, and still find it quite a fascinating set up to this day. Feel sorry for anyone who didn't have as much fun as I did.
With that you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing!
Can I ask for those who saw this in 3D, what was the most effective scene?
(and maybe the worst effective actually).
Cheers.
For me, there weren't any scenes that were not effective. The most memorable moment was when Calvin, Mike, Kay, Philip, and Phil'' assistant were talking about how to handle the situation. The way the depth of field, and the lighting came across on the screen, it looked awesome. The way that the characters were there, in your face, and whatever was in the background, was IN THE BACKGROUND, as though you were looking across a field or so. Good times. Wish I could see it in 3-D on the big screen again.
With that you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing!
This movie was pretty poor, but I was young enough to enjoy it regardless. My dad took me to see it in Cape Cod because it was raining that day and the beach was out. The scene I really remember for its 3-D value was when they are readying a needle and they squirt it in the direction of the audience - I half expected to be wet. The jaws settling right in front of the screen near the end was just silly, however.
shareWell, I remember the severed hand in the water at the start of the film did make me enjoy the 3D experience.
Martin
I was 13 and I remember that part well.
shareI was 11 when I saw this. I was a huge fan of the original Jaws, so even then I knew that this movie stunk. I felt kind of depressed by the whole thing. There was a lot of that going on during that period. The last Star Wars came out...so I was bummed that was ending, and then there were the godawful sequels to Jaws, Halloween (which didn't even have Michael Myers in it!) and Superman. It was just such a downer to see these once great films sink to such levels.
Anyway, I remember the severed arm the most. I also remember recognizing Dennis Quaid from Breaking Away, and wondering why he was in this bomb. During the film, I was mainly waiting for the scene from inside the shark's mouth, which was something touted on TV beforehand as being an amazing SPFX feat.
Perhaps the strongest memory I have was during the scene when Bess Armstrong runs into the tank right before the first shark dies. There's a sign out front which says "Sh-sh-shark!" A friend I was with said "sh-sh-shark" out loud in a very deliberate monotone, and the audience started laughing.
Overall, I remember not being all that impressed with the 3-D. There was something very murky about it all. I left instead thinking more about how much I enjoyed the original Jaws.
I was about 13 when this came out and saw it with my friends. The main thing I remember is the audience laughing during most of it (esp during the floating arm part)...but we all HATED it. I watched part 1,2,& 3 again recently while home sick with the flu. 1 is as awesome as ever, 2 is ok, & 3 is so bad, I couldn't believe it. The floating arm part I literally burst out laughing...
shareI was 11 and went with a friend of mine who was two years older and didn't want to see it. The first scene was I think a school of fish swimming in your face, and everyone was laughing and having fun with it, trying to grab the screen. My friend was annoyed and said "it's just fish!"
I remember kind of liking it and not realizing the 3D was bad (think it was my first 3D movie). When the shark blew up and all these teeth fly at you I remember thinking it was pretty cool. My friend hated it, and whether other people liked it or not I don't remember.
That said, I think it's awful now. The ending is hysterically incompetent.
I watched in 3D at the cinemas.
Some of the effects were good but I still remember the harpoon/arrow shot where it split in two. The story was darn poor and that was a let down.
Its that man again!!
I was about 15 at the time, and I went with my buddy Mike, and as I recall, we expected to have a good time. We did not expect a good film. Wise beyond our years we were! It turned out to be a howler monkey of a bad flick, and a lot of people were chuckling and laughing throughout. I liked the 3-D effects, especially the floating, gulping fish head at the beginning (disgusting!) ... I have always been a sucker for a good gimmick ...
Around this same time, down the street at a local revival theatre, "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (the ORIGINAL Universal Studios monster in the water movie!) was screened a few times in 3-D and I was lucky enough to see it. Truly, a superior 3D experience (and still one of the best if you can ever catch it).
"Jaws 3-D" is one cheesy movie and very silly--and also very gruesome and gory, putting horrible things right in front of your face in an excessive, 1980's 3-D way.
As goofy as it is, though, I have strong nostalgic feelings for it, and find it is fairly watchable. Would love to see it projected in polarized 3-D once again...
the harpoon/arrow shot where it split in twoLol, I thought that only happens on anaglyph 3D? Wow what poor 3D it must on been, Bet that scene *beep* the audience off. If a 3D shot went that bad in a modern movie these days the 3D supervisor would of been given the sack for sure!.
I was 14 in 1983 and when I saw it in the cinema it was rank even then. The whole audience was giggling at most of the sfx.
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The memories of a man in his old age are the deeds of a man in his prime
I never saw Jaws 3-D in the cinema, but I did see it in 3-D - and it's the only time I've ever watched Jaws 3 at all. In the 90's, my Dad got a copy from Japan which required some kind of special player. It was my first 3-D film and I was absolutely fascinated by it. If memory serves, the 3-D was even better than some of the stereoscopic 3D we have today.
ABC, 123, that girl wore her jeans like me. I bet she's mad, 'cos I look fab. Hahaha, JACK MY SWAG.
I saw this twice at the Cinema when I was 14 and the 3D in retrospect was way better than what it is now. The perspective was greater than what it is now and things really came out at you. Some of the shots where they inserted objects on the screen rather than the natural shots were a bit iffy but these were also the shots that came right out at you which was impressive. I havn't seen that in modern 3D films.
I remember the worst thing about it though was the effects in general, the shark had a speeded up effect which made it look silly, also the more you saw of the shark the less scary it became so it lacked the tension like the first film or the second.
I've seen it a few times more recently and the effects really do look awful by todays standards but the 3D at the time was really good and for me better than what it is today although still too dark ( as it is today )
Overall though the film was very slow at the start or first half and lacked tension and was filled in with some cool 3D shots but the deaths didn't seem right and just rushed on by with the focus being how they can show a cool 3D shot ( oh and at the time the floating arm looked realistic not today though lol ) The second half was way more entertaining even if it was quite silly. The first 2 had a monster/killer on the loose thriller and suspense feel whereas this one had a cheesy disaster movie feel to it.
Back then the film wasn't bad at the cinema but nowhere near as good as the first one and a let down in that respect, on the other hand it was entertaining and the 3D was really good. Today it doesn't stand up and seems more like a spoof movie with some schlocky lines and lack of character development, tension or believability.
I watched quite a lot of 3D movies back in the 80's and I think they looked better then than they do now the only problem was that most of the 3D films wern't that good lol. The best 3D I have seen recently would be Avatar and Christmas Carol which were both animated and Resident Evil Afterlife which did use perspective shots and thought about the process carefully.
"Can people handle the truth"
I am in my mid-forties so I can recall my theatrical experience with "Jaws 3D" very well. I remember during the opening scene when the shark ate a fish and the fish's head floated there in the water. The effect was so convincing I kept trying and trying to grab the fish's head, which really seemed to float right in front of me. To be honest I think today's 3D is much better at showing off depth and not so much "coming at ya." But with "Jaws 3D" I definitely remember feeling as if that fish's head was right in front of me--very much coming out of the screen experience. I think I recall the jaws of the shark seeming to come out at me too when it was destroyed at the end, but, hands down, the fish head effect was like none other. I'm so glad I was just at the right age then to be able to experience and remember it well.
shareMy friend and I were 12 when we saw this in the theaters. You would think this movie would appeal tremendously to a couple of 12 year old boys. Such was not the case. Even in 1983 the effects looked pathetic. I remember my friend and I looking at each questioning whether or not it was supposed to be a joke. It was hard to take the movie seriously.
shareI saw it in 3D recently at the 3D-con. The 3-D was quite good, the movie was horrible.
--I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
I was in college in 1983 when this came out and I remember seeing it in 3-D--I still have the glasses in fact:) The movie sucked big time (the shark here ROARS at one point!) and the 3-D didn't work at all. Objects were in and out of focus non-stop and there was a lot of annoying double vision. The only 3-D that worked was when a frog suddenly leaps to the camera. Hopeless.
shareI was 9 years old and was disappointed in every aspect of the movie.
shareI was 21, and I went to see it one afternoon because I had a lousy job at the time that only allowed me one day's vacation (!). I usually remember all of my theatrical experiences, but this time I have no specific anecdotes about the experience, other than I really thought it was pretty bad. But I will say I know it was more impressive just for the 3-D at the theater than it was later at home on 2D DVD. This is the perfect example of a movie who's only merit was getting to see 3-D effects, and screw the acting or story. In fact, I do something now that I rarely do when owing a movie series on DVD -- I only have JAWS, JAWS 2, and then on to JAWS:THE REVENGE. I got rid of my Part 3 DVD.
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