"She was the first"

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2016)

Action films simply do not compare to movies like this. Jaws is subtle, clever and at times hilarious, and unlike most blockbusters does not rely on special effects and trifling acts of sensationalism to sell. The film is about a killer shark, but for the first half of the film we do not see her - this is what makes the film great - we are able instead to concentrate on the way humans react to this unseen force. The scheming town mayor is an accurate satire on the self-important local busy-body who thinks only of the financial ruin the shark could cause. Don't miss the on going duels between the rich college boy Hooper and the working class hero Quint - it is here where some of the best dialogue appears. The first half of the film is so good one almost forgets about the shark as a physical entity, more of an abstract notion which is only conceived by the way the islanders behave. The second half is where all the action happens as far as seeing the shark up close and personal.
Excellent performances from the three leads (Scheider, Shaw and Dreyfuss) guide us from a powerful beginning through to an adrenaline rush climax. Its not surprising to note that Spielberg's favorite scene from the film is not an effects moment nor an adrenaline rush sequence but a character scene as Quint (Shaw) talks about the USS Indianapolis incident. This scene, among others elevates the film to a height seldom equalled in other films. The claustrophobic isolation of Quint's creaky fishing boat sets the scene for a final stand off between man and man-eater. The three make an ill-fitting team and it's clear from the outset who's going to come off worse. When the final pay-off comes, it's every bit the result of two hours of carefully racked-up tension, and enough to leave the viewer heaving a sigh of relief when it's over.
Overall rating: 8 out of 10.