The blockbuster that paved the way

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2017)

Jaws
I have reviewed Jaws the revenge and The Shallows. Comparing them both to the master of all shark movies the original Jaws. I reviewed Jaws the revenge because of its awfulness. I just needed to vent my anger. I reviewed The Shallows because I believed it could have been a worthy sequel to the original Spielberg classic. Just insert famous John Williams score and off you go you've doubled your box office receipts.
However it's about time I reviewed the best. The original. The daddy of all shark movies.
From the opening sounds of the ocean and its contents as the universal logo appears at the start of this masterpiece, an eerie ambiance is created. Spielberg manages to build tension right here at the very beginning even before we have seen anything. Jaws is a special movie. One that paved the way for all blockbusters that followed. This film is over 40 years old now and despite the special effects at the end of the movie looking dated it still stands up today. However the dated SFX take nothing away from what is one of the best thrillers of all time. The very fact that we don't see the shark until the finale proves just how well Spielberg managed to grip his audience.
The opening sequence where we witness the demise of young Chrissie Watkins is truly terrifying. Apparently her screams were for real. The pain caused by being attached to cables and being dragged back and forth through the water by a gang of stuntmen to create the desired effect took its toll on the young actress.
Talk to anyone who loves this film and they will all tell you about certain scenes that still work to this very day. Scenes that are embedded into their consciousness.
For me agood example is when the head of Ben Gardner drops out of the bottom of the boat.
I must've seen Jaws over thirty times and every time I watch that scene I still end up clinging to the ceiling as it makes me jump out of my seat.
The story is a simple one. A giant Great white shark has taken up residence around the island of Amity. By doing so it begins to terrorise and eat the tourists. Not good for business as Amity relies on these visitors for its summer dollars. So It's up to chief Brody played by Roy Scheider to make the beaches safe again. This is no easy task as the towns mayor doesn't want the beaches closed.
Scheider is sublime as the reluctant hero.
A man forced to face his own fears in order to save the day.
Brody teams up with shark expert Hooper played by Richard Dreyfus and they set off on a quest to try and catch the monsterous fish.
Dreyfus's character compliments Schneider's.
They bounce off each other. One man afraid of the ocean, the other man in love with it.
To accomplish this they require the help of shark hunter Quint played by the excellent Robert Shaw. Three very different characters huddled together on one small boat.
Quint hates the ocean. Or at least what dwells within it. So here we have three very different view points from three very different people.
Jaws is as much of a character driven piece as it is a movie about a giant shark.
Perhaps the greatest scene in the entire movie is when all three are in the boat sharing their stories. There's no shark, just an excellent piece of acting.
Robert Shaw's haunting yet mesmerising telling of the time he spent on the USS Indianapolis.
This is a Jaws prequel in itself. Why they haven't done this is beyond me. There's an idea!
Maybe I should write it and make my millions. It could be called 'Quint Begins!' After all it worked for Batman.
Instead the audience has been subjected to three crappy sequels. OK I'll admit it, Jaws 2 is watchable.
The original Jaws is in my book is one of the best movies ever made. A film that is easy to watch over and over again. The sound, music, editing and cinematography are great and it is obvious to see how and why this became the original blockbuster. An event movie with substance. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley. Jaws the movie is much more streamlined compared to the novel. The film sets out to be a focused thriller and doesn't detract too much with overblown character subplots. Spielberg still manages to flesh out the movies characters and gives the audience a reason to care for what will happen to them. The movies finale differs also from the novel. In true Hollywood fashion the shark goes out with a bang compared to the books much more subtle ending.
Secondary characters are also well portrayed giving the movie an entirely polished cast. By the end the of the film I was reluctant to say goodbye to the characters. This is probably why Jaws 2 is watchable. That movie itself is poor in comparison to the original but it's nice to see some old friends once again.
If we look at Jaws today we must be fair and cast aside the rather primitive special effects.
Spielberg would not have created the great movie he did if Bruce the shark worked or if he had the access to state of the art CGI.
What we don't see is much more terrifying that what is made visible.
That uneasy feeling you get when you swim out into the ocean whilst on holiday.
What horrors lurk just beneath the surface?
It is the horrors that lurk in our imagination that really frighten us.

Jaws is a movie close to my heart. Childhood memories of hiding behind the sofa. Acting out the movie in the playground with friends. The toy game and all other merchandise that followed. A true blockbuster. The original blockbuster. The one that paved the way.