There are countless reasons to celebrate the achievement of "Jaws," but don't forget its storytelling

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2017)

The legacy of Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" is immense and immeasurable. It spawned countless monster/giant predator horror films and campy knock-offs, it infiltrated culture so significantly people didn't want to go swimming at the beach, and it was the first film to gross $100 million dollars, turning summer into the profitable blockbuster movie season we know today. But amid all the hoisting up of "Jaws" as a phenomenon, what has a tendency to get lost is the drama, suspense and craftsmanship.
Although largely touted as a horror film – and rightfully so given how much it actually scared people at the time – so much of "Jaws" is drama. The visual effects and suspense have become so iconic over the last 40 years that they overshadow Spielberg's attention to the characters and the impact these traumatic events have on them. The truth is that commitment to meaningful storytelling is what makes the film great and worthy of a Best Picture nomination as opposed to simply "one of the best horror movies of all time."
"Jaws" has two distinct halves that allow it to function as a multi- genre film. The first takes us to the New England seaside town of Amity where the new sheriff (Roy Scheider) has to deal with a few gruesome shark attacks despite the mayor insisting the beaches stay open for business. The second follows Sheriff Brody out to open sea with a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a moderately insane shark hunter (Robert Shaw) to track down the voracious great white.
Part one brings most of the suspense. We don't get to see much if any of the shark as Spielberg's camera looks upward from the ocean floor at various potential victims. Of course every great suspense film needs two things: a great editor (Oscar-winner Verna Fields) an even more suspenseful score. John Williams' legendary "Theme from 'Jaws'" provides just that – a palpable sense of fear and danger.
In between heart-racing moments, Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb's script (based loosely on Benchley's novel) explores the actual impact of what would happen to a town with a shark problem, with Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) driving us mad by downplaying of the attacks. Considering the countless films since 1975 built on the concept of "Jaws" that ignore the victims and the real-world implications, the fact that "Jaws" doesn't neglect them adds to its shelf life.
Eventually, "Jaws" transitions into somewhat of a "Moby Dick" tale following three strangers isolated on a boat somewhere in the Atlantic with the goal of taking out a gigantic shark. This final act is when Spielberg reveals the infamous mechanical shark, which again, makes it easy to forget the number of scenes on the boat in which these men share war stories and sing songs, the tension between them reflecting the tension of the audience as we await the shark's next move. These dialogue-heavy scenes definitely slow "Jaws" down in a way that's less than ideal, but the trade-off is the greater intimacy we get with the characters. Plus, it gives the stars some space to do actual acting rather than serve as human props for Spielberg's toy shark.
With its larger than life ending, the likes of which had not been seen before, "Jaws" cemented its place in film history as the first modern blockbuster. The combination of storytelling and overall good filmmaking technique with technological innovation resulted in a product that was not only revolutionary, but also tapped into a deeper part of the human nature of its audience, our instincts for danger and fear. "Jaws" was a thrilling wakeup call to Hollywood and reminder to moviegoers everywhere that movies allow us to come as close to experiencing actual danger and fear than most of us will ever get.
~Steven C
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