Jaws

So this past Saturday, June 20th was the 45th anniversary of the classic film "Jaws". This movie is an undeniable staple of American cinema and is loved by all, all that is except me, because up until June 20th, 2020 I had not seen "Jaws". My lack of seeing this particular shark film has gained a lot of confusion from my friends and family alike, hell with it being on TV all the time I'm surprised its taken me 28 years to see it too! To be completely honest I was worried going into it, "Jaws" has such a highly praised reputation that it seems it would never be able to live up to the hype my friends have given it. Boy was I wrong about that.

"Jaws" is a 1975 Adventure/Thriller film from director Stephen Spielberg. It follows the story of the small Island, called Amity, that thrives on tourist revenue. Their busiest time of year is when all the tourist come down to the beaches of Amity Island for the fourth of July weekend. Unfortunately this particular year sees trouble in the form of a giant great white shark that feeds on the swimmers. the island police Sherriff Brody, with the help of oceanographer Matt Hooper and shark hunter Quint, to track down this massive threat and destroy it before it can kill again.

To me "Jaws" was always labeled a horror film, this always peaked my interest. I could never picture Spielberg making a horror film, not because he couldn't but because it seemed so off brand for him. I was intrigued when finally watched the film to find it was more a Thriller with Adventure elements sprinkled throughout. At its core, "Jaws" features the heart that makes Spielberg films so enjoying for all ages.

What's interesting about this film is the shark itself. This film had a huge budget and a lot of that went into building this shark with practical effects, but unfortunately they malfunctioned regularly. Originally the shark was supposed to be featured more prominently in the film, but with the constant malfunctions putting a wrench in those plans, Spielberg had to find creative ways to use the character. Instead of directly showing the shark attack people, he chose to use point of view shots so we didn't see the monstrous great white most of the time, but instead view the attacks from it's point of view.

This is a testament to how great of a filmmaker Spielberg truly is, when faced with a problem that jeopardizes your entire production, he chose to take a more creative route that ended up creating significantly more suspense and terrified generations.

Another factor that really amps up the tension built in the film is the relationships between the three main characters. While Brody and Hooper get along quite well there is a strong tension between them and Quint. With his grizzled past, Quint has become grizzled and unorthodox and the rest of the crew doesn't quite understand his methods or why they have placed their faith in him. I think without this strong dynamic between the three, most of the movie would be very boring, but I found myself glued to the screen the entire time they were on Quint's boat, the Orca. You never quite know if Hooper is going to snap or Quint's true intentions and you just can't keep your eyes away.

"Jaws" was always so hyped up and it sure did deliver. I immediately understood why it was so beloved by so many people, its fun, it's scary, and its overall just a good movie! I highly recommend it to anyone that has or hasn't seen it before.

I did some up grades to the Patented Monster Meter so lets see how jaws measures up!

Scares: 3.5/5
Monster:4/5
Story:5/5
Final Score:12.5/15

As of right now "Jaws" is available to stream on HBO Max or on 4k for the 45th anniversary so go check it out!