PriceyPopulist...B-Movie Entertainment at its Best

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2016)

This is Not Director Steven Spielberg's Most Overrated Movie, that would be "E.T." (1982). But it is Certainly Overrated. Overwhelmed by the Popularity and Zeitgeist of the Whole Thing, It was Certainly a Blockbuster and Cultural Phenomenon in 1975.
A Slickly Made and Innovative Movie for its Time, Spielberg had Enough Clout and Money to Experiment with the Genre and was a Creative Talent that Crafted a Different Look and Feel to the Film that Helped Make the Movie a Slightly Offbeat Experience. John Williams Haunting Score Helped.
But the Movie has Some Things that are Far From Perfect and Keeps it from Becoming a Masterpiece that So Many Claim. In the First Act, Spielberg Borrows from Howard Hawks and Includes a lot of Over Talking that is Just as Clunky as When Hawks Kept Pushing that bit of Pretension on Audiences.
The Second Act is Corny at Times with Roy Scheider's Chief Brody Character Channeling Every Teen Sci-Fi from the Fifties Trying to Convince His "Elders" that there Really is a "Monster on the Loose", and When Robert Shaw's Over the Top "Old Salt" Shows Up, the Camp becomes Quite Silly at Times.
The Third Act Suffers Mostly from Mechanics of the Shark Kind. When the Shark Jumps on the Boat, Suspension of Disbelief Goes Out the Window.
But the Movie is Entertaining and it has Become One of Those Band Wagons that Everyone wants to Jump On for Fear of Being Left Behind. Objectively, it's a Fine Film, Better than Average, and Deserves Credit for the Now Famous Tapping of that Middle Class Angst that the Director is Well Known for Exploiting.
Spielberg is a Craftsman, a Playful Filmmaker with Great Talent and an Ability to Know What the People Want and Gives it to Them in Heavy Doses.
Jaws was His First Film of the Sort, and He has Never Really Changed and Strayed Only Occasionally from what Might be Called Populist Entertainment Rather than High-Art. At the Former, He is the Master.