Harry Situation’s Countdown Reviews: Jaws

Daa-dun... Daa-dun... Daa-dun...

Oh yeah, let’s finally talk about the Jaws movies. And just in time before the upcoming movie about a gigantic shark, The Meg.

Jaws is the classic horror thriller released back in 1975, and marked as the film that made director Steven Spielberg a household name. The film starred Roy Schnieder as Police Chief Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as marine biologist Hooper, and Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint.

Based on the novel (yes, it originally was a novel) of the same name, the story is about a giant man-eating great white shark that comes to the shores of a small island off the coast of New York, Amity Island. There it begins attacking and eating the beachgoers and it is up to a police chief, a marine biologist, and a professional shark hunter to stop this man-eater.

Jaws is a classic for a reason. I think that goes without saying. It has been dubbed as one of the scariest movies ever made, and the original summer blockbuster movie. And again, it’s not hard to see why.

I can definitely concur that Jaws is truly a terrifying experience. I remember first watching it as a kid and it scared me. I watch it as an adult and the film still scares me from time to time. The first scene where the girl is skinny dipping in the water and the shark violently attacks her is still one of the most memorable and disturbing scenes in film history.

That theme, that music, goddamn. This is why John Williams is forever the greatest music composer of all time. That theme alone can send chills down anyone’s spine. I don’t think there’s a living person on the planet that can look at a shark and not think about that theme. Even if you’ve never scene Jaws before, once you hear the music, you already know that it’s from Jaws. This has got to be one of the best film scores for any horror movie, if not for any movie to date. Again, because it’s John Williams, a fucking Einstein mixed with Picasso when it comes to music.

The acting is great too. But on top of that, the characters are amazing, specifically with our three main leads: Brody, Hooper, and Quint. These three are outstanding as characters. Brody is the big hero, Hooper is the smart idealist, and Quint is cold and experienced. The three play off each other very well. Of the three, I think my favorite would have to be Quint. He shows that he's much more than a carbon copy of Ahab from Moby Dick (which was basically his character from the novel). Quint’s speech about the USS Indianapolis and how he survived it is probably the most spine chillingest moments in this movie, moreso than any of the scares. The way he describes the sharks attacking his crew... “The thing about a shark, he’s got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes...”

Spielberg is a master of the craft. There's a reason why he's still making movies today. The way he builds suspence in a scene and the way he uses the atmosphere and lighting is just masterful. One of the biggest reasons you rarely saw the shark in the movie was because the animatronic shark they built didn't function properly. So Spielberg used this to his advantage to make a beyond perfect movie.

And I don't just use the term 'perfect' loosely. This film truly is perfect. This is another film that I honestly cannot think of anything to nitpick about. Jaws is the ultimate scary movie experience and one that everyone should watch for themselves. People were terrified of this movie back in the day. Nobody wanted to go into the water after seeing it.

I love this movie and I watch it every summer to remind me what lurks below the water. Definitely make room for this on your 'What to Watch' list!

Positives:

-Scary as hell

-Amazing characters and acting

-John Williams’ score

-Great suspense

-Terrific writing

-Beautifully directed

-Instant classic

Negatives:

-None

Final Grade: A+

So there's my review for Jaws, as part of my series of Jaws Countdown Reviews all leading to the premiere of The Meg. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Were you terrified of sharks and the water after this movie? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Chief Brody: “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

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