Beware of the beach

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2012)

"Jaws" was a movie that set standards for current movies and for a film that is more than thirty-five years old, it is still popular today. Based on the motif of a shark that has gotten hungry and now it must find a place to feed. While getting ready to feed is the other thing this film is responsible for, which is the simple yet very well known little two note sound that signifies terror is coming. Set on an island in the north east that depends on the summer season to draw tourists to their beaches. This very way of life is about to be impacted by a very large predator.
Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) finds the remains of a victim attacked by this shark and in the interest of public safety is trying to close the beaches until the shark can be taken care of. He is meeting great opposition from the mayor, and the mother who puts up a ransom for the shark also creates great chaos amongst the townspeople. Quint (Robert Shaw) is a shark hunter who comes into town and offers to kill the share, for a price of course. Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) was a young scientist who was interested in studying sharks.
Quint, Hooper and Brody all take to the sea on-board the motor vessel Orca, owned by Quint. While on-board, the team starts their hunt and fairly quickly are finding themselves face to face with the largest Great White shark any have ever seen. Lighting is very important in this film and is effectively used while on the boat. Night has fallen and the only noises left are the waves slapping against the hull, a dim flickering light casts shadows among the men as they sit telling stories, building the mood and then, the sound.
The team tries many ideas in an attempt to capture and kill the shark. Many of these methods prove to be unsuccessful leading them to try another. Finally, Hooper ends up in a cage trying to stick dart into the shark when the cage is attacked and torn apart. Hooper drops out of the cage, and disappeared for awhile. Quint and Brody continue to battle with the shark that is continuing to tear apart the very boat they are on. Camera angles play a very important role in this scene building anticipation and showing the distress on Quint's face as the shark pulls the transom off of the boat.
The boat cannot operate normally without the stern so it starts listing to severely which creates a steep slope. Quint starts sliding down this slope until he meets his end, leaving Brody all on his own. Some quick thinking and remembering something Hooper said finally saved Brody's life soon followed by the surfacing of Hooper.