Wonderful soundtrack, memorable moments, great pacing and a seemingly invincible shark make Jaws something special.

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2007)

I remember seeing Jaws a long time ago; well maybe it wasn't ages and ages ago but several years is more than enough time in-between viewing a film. What I expected from Jaws this second time given the amount of films from Spielberg I've seen since and the amount of films I'd seen as a whole anyway was something a tense, taught, 'slowly building it up and then hitting you' horror thriller. True, I couldn't remember much from the first viewing apart from some of the more memorable moments not only in Jaws but in film history overall; these included the finger nails down a blackboard scene and the now famous 'trombone' shot as Brody (Scheider) sits on the beach receiving a massage as the shark claims its latest victim.
Even if what I got was very different to what I was expecting, that still isn't saying I didn't enjoy it after this gap. I found Jaws to be tight, clever, sharp and highly entertaining  the only real complaint being that the editing has not dated well. Some films are lucky to have anything truly memorable in them at all - Jaws has; in its opening twenty five minutes or so, about three to four things. These things, when either repeated or spoofed instantaneously remind you that it was from Jaws. These are things like the now famous musical score from John Williams, Quint's (Shaw) introduction with the blackboard, 'the' shot of Brody on his chair, the two swimmers in the opening scene and the wonderful point of view shots we have of the shark; allowing us, the audience, to be the killer every now and again.
Not only do these events now have something of a 'cult' status but the pacing of each scene within the actual film itself took me by surprise  Jaws is, in truth, an unrelenting barrage of entertaining and unpredictable situations pieced together in such a fast and refreshing way, I'm amazed it didn't have a truly lasting impression on me the first time I saw it half a dozen years ago. The film really does suck you in, no exaggeration  and it does this through keeping a strong, steady figure (Brody) at the centre of the film whilst systematically introducing new characters and situations as it pleases. We are shown that Quint is around but his help is rejected although later on they need him, we are introduced to a shark expert from the mainland and find out a bit about him as things carry on and of course, the constant threat of the shark looms savagely making any shot or scene where either beaches or water is involved, truly uncomfortable and simultaneously, disturbing to watch.
Not only this; but tension and anxiety is played with very effectively. When the shark expert Hooper (Dreyfuss) has to go down into the water and inspect the bottom of a boat even we are unsure as to whether it's safe. As well as this, when it's realised the shark is in the 'pond' part of the beach, where Brody's children are, we are equally unsure as Brody's children strike us (at least they did to me) as expendable characters  wouldn't give Brody a bigger and more personal drive to catch and kill the shark if his kids were victims? The scene involving and surrounding the capture of another shark early on is played with very well as some detective work is needed to work out if it's the right one.
When Jaws enters its final third, it is quite literally 'man vs. beast' as these three guys are out at sea, no where to go and with a mission in mind: eliminate the shark problem. This is played out using several techniques and situations, all of which score. The sheer unpredictability of the film as well as the action that pops up every now and again is wonderful as guns, harpoons and even yellow tracking barrels are used to try and defeat the monster. When they realise defeating it from the surface is a little too hard, they even try and match it under the water resulting in a heart stopping scene involving a shark cage. It's not all barrage upon barrage on the animal, though  the shark wins its fair share of the fight. Jaws is very clever in its delivery, pacing and realism. It's also very entertaining and is up there with some of the best work Spielberg has ever done.