It's not just 'the best shark film!'

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2003)

Seeing people call Jaws `the best shark film ever made' is like calling Princess Di `the best-looking parent of Prince William!' It's factual, but it's certainly darning it with faint praise! (And, other than its sub-par sequels, WERE there any other `shark' movies???)
That aside, Jaws is one of those films that started out fairly high in my estimation and continues to climb as years go by. I was actually a tad disappointed when I finally got to see it at the theatre as a 12-year-old. This was simply because it had been the most-hyped movie of all time, up till then. I don't know WHAT I was expecting, but certainly more than a motion picture could ever provide!
Later, I admitted that it was a quite good film. After college cinema class, I had to admit that it was especially well-made. As an adult, I came to consider it one of my favorite films. Finally, today, I can look back and call it one of Hollywood's finer moments. I would rate Jaws among the best 3-4 films made since 1970, and, as a recent reviewer called it, `the grand-daddy' of the action/adventure genre. (It was also the first true summer blockbuster!)
So much more than a tale of a man-eating shark, Jaws captures the small-town, tourist economy that thrives on visitors. The fictitious Amity is perfectly depicted and Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) is the perfect representative of this mindset. Not a bad guy, just a harried local official, mindful that the community's lifeblood depends on the brief beach season, he is out of his element when that same blood begins gushing up on the pristine white beaches. I won't go into deep details; others have already covered the key points. The then-unknown cast sparkles, the script is magnificent-especially the tremendous USS Indianapolis scene, which adds SO MUCH to the depth of the characters and also reinforces the peril that they are about to face, and the cinematography is outstanding. The live shark footage from Australia, combined with a few limited close-ups of `Bruce,' is a deft touch. Of course, John Williams' music helps make it what it is, too.
Little human touches, like the youngest Brody boy imitating his father's every movement at the kitchen table, make the film much more than an everyday horror/adventure flick. Another favorite moment that always makes me chuckle out loud is when Michael (Chris Rebello) is in his new rowboat. Brody (Roy Schneider) harshly orders him out of the boat. Mrs. Brody (Lorraine Gary) scolds Brody for his actions (actually making him change his mind), only to see the painting in the book he was holding, of a shark ramming its snout through a wooden rowboat & scream `Did you HEAR your father? Get OUT of that boat!' :o)
There's even a built-in trivia question: `What's ironic about the title?' Answer: `It's about a shark and sharks HAVE no jaws!' Food for thoughterexcuse mepoor choice of words, there, under the circumstances! ;o)
This is a must-see, if anyone has somehow missed it.