Pounding and hollering.......

Rating: 10/10 (23 June 2012)

Amity Island, a small community whose main business is its beaches.
When Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers.
This doesn't sit well with the Mayor and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator.
The boy's mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward.
A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark....
This is the film we have to thank for blockbusters like ID4, Jurassic Park, and Robin Hood: POT. It's also responsible in some way for Batman and Robin, Battlefield Earth.
It's basically the movie that started the summer blockbuster, and it's so easy to see why. Spielberg has crafted easily his most entertaining movie, with real shocks, laughs and some of the most emotional scenes in a big movie like this.
From the USS Indianapolis speech, to the opening scene, to the scene with Brody and his son, to the brilliant use of the camera in that scene, to the immortal lines 'gonna need a bigger boat' and 'smile you sonofa .....' there is something here that everyone loves.
And seeing it on the big screen just shows how terrifying the film really is compared to DVD.
In some instances the film can be seen as an insight into consumerism, and the fact that traditional celebrations are vanishing. The shark could be a metaphor for the changes in economy, taking away part of the July 4th celebrations of Amity, encouraging regulars to go elsewhere in future, scuppering local business.
But it's still a fun movie, with the film being infinitely better once it's the three men on the boat, being stalked by Bruce.
An excellent film by all accounts, wonderful performances, and the film that you always think about when you go for a swim.