Steven Spielberg's creature feature masterpiece still holds up today

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2016)

Following his directorial debut with the 1974 flick 'Sugarland Express', Steven Spielberg, a pioneer of the new age of Hollywood took the world by storm when he introduced this edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that made many around the world fear of going back into the water. Wielding with likable performances by a cast of Roy Schneider, Richard Dreyfuss, and the larger-than-life Robert Shaw, as groundbreaking suspense too powerful to ignore; this summer flick not only stole the position of the first summer blockbuster in the cinematic world, but defined the very career of Steven Spielberg. Shot in 1974, the production of the film dragged Spielberg through a journey of tribulations involving his newly inventive special effects that no filmmaker in Hollywood used before. Most notably was the 24-foot mechanic shark that failed to work throughout which resulted in minimal showings of the shark on screen. Ironically, it made for better suspense and better thrills (and plenty of gore) to leave audiences at the edge-of-their-seats. The film follows Roy Schneider as Sheriff Martin Brody who moves his family to the beautiful Amity Island, home of a highly tourized beach that soon becomes a place of nightmares when a hungry Great White Shark makes his way near shore and eats one of the tourists alive. With Mayor Larry Vaughn (played by Murray Hamilton) refusing to close down the beach to ensure the economic standing, Brody sets out along with marine biologist Matt Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss) and charismatic fisherman Quint (played by Robert Shaw) on cross-sea adventure to exterminate the hungry creature.
This creature feature isn't quite what I consider Steven Spielberg's magnum opus, but there is no arguing that this film is a cinematic ark. In the decade following the age of Alfred Hitchcock a.k.a. Master of Suspense, Spielberg surprised audiences with some of the most effective thrills that left many viewers squirming in their seats and concerning about hypothetical occurrences falling victim to shark attack. Though whether these thrills happen to blow Alfred Hitchcock out of the water is debatable, they really struck at the heart and still manage to stay frightening even up to this day. Spielberg accomplishes this feat by not (unintentionally) showing the shark for the majority of the movie, but instead using cutthroat cinematography to show the shark's perspective under the water and reducing the shark's on screen presence to brief pop-up appearances before the final twenty minutes. Much of the heart-stopping suspense is accomplished not just by the nifty camera work, but John Williams' iconic score that remains highly influential to this day; playing in many other movies and spoofs on television shows. Though the atmosphere stays mostly eerie, the film provides a few moments of levity and a pinch of humor every now and then, most notably a scene with the three main leads engaging in a light-hearted conversation on the boat while taking a break from their shark hunt. Along with the sheer suspenseful tone is some charismatic performances by Roy Schneider and Richard Dreyfuss. But the major draw in the acting department is Robert Shaw who delivers a lively portrayal of an old fisherman who uses his World War II experience as his expertise for the characters' death-defying mission. The actors fuels plenty of charisma and humanity in his role with cutthroat dialogue. By the end, he easily takes the stand as the most likable character of them all.
Jaws is triumphant cinematic masterpiece uprooted by the hands of Steven Spielberg, and with great suspense and influential cinematic tropes that still remain highly spoken of today. This is easily one of Spielberg's best works, and one that could be nearly impossible for any shark feature to measure up to. Though many films have tried desperately in the past, none have prevailed.