The Greatest Movie of all time.

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2007)

Steven Spielberg's finest film is Jaws , which is saying something considering he's probably the greatest director that ever lived. Jaws is not simply a monster movie, it goes right in to the heart of an island community Amity Island, which is terrorised by a man -eating shark which staked its claim in the friendly waters of a New England island community.
The rich characterisation of every character is sublime. The suspense is unbelievable, and the sense of fear adventure and wonderment of the open water is also evident in this film. This film made me terrified of Sharks, and the water since i was a child- thats a mark of a great movie right there.
The editing in JAWS was Oscar winning, and deservedly so- it had masterful cinematography, and the score from Williams is probably his greatest even above Indiana Jones and Star Wars, and the score to Jaws the 'bah-bum-bah-bum' is possibly the most famous piece of music you will ever hear in a motion picture. All this combine to make this if not the greatest film of all time- pretty darn close to it, due to every individual element of film-making at its very best throughout this picture.
The opening attack, is the most shocking beginning to a movie your likely to see...with the highly documented problems in production with the mechanical shark undoubtedly makes this film so special as Spielberg got to do what he does best. Create suspense without actually seeing the perpetrator. Think about the T-Rex in Jurassic Park we knew his arrival with the thud and the vibrations in the mud or a glass of water for instance. Spielberg does similar here, we know the shark is there with the use of an underwater camera taking the sharks POV and John Williams famous music. IN this opening scene the vulnerable girl is killed dramatically from something from below...the camera work follows her legs from the depths as the camera takes the Sharks POV and the music begins, and the camera gets closer and closer then the attack...a masterful piece of suspense film-making. The rubber shark itself isn't terrifying, but the seamless editing and Spielbergs masterful direction makes it so. One scene which deserves an in-depth look is the scene where the young boy on the raft is killed. What is great about this scene and what makes Spielberg truly great and at his height of his suspense craft is how he set up this scene. The premise is the chief Brody paranoid of another attack so he sits in his beach chair focusing obsessively on the water; the camera is focused entirely on him, as people walk past him and talk to him either off frame or in the shot, meanwhile Brody is entirely still focused on the water; Spielberg further sets various scents- the dog playing fetch; and the shrill screams in the water which we think is the shark but is a couple playing...so Spielberg throws us off the idea of an attack especially when a young boy enters the water on a raft, its basically a rule that young people don't get murdered in Hollywood movies right? No character is safe in this movie, which makes it all the more scary. Suddenly Spielberg puts us right on the scent as the dog owner can't find his dog suddenly...could it be? then the camera does does the under water cam and suddenly we realise its the shark- as it attacks the boy on the raft. What is genius is the camera pans at speed to Brody's sensitised reaction of panic, as the whole beach is in chaos. That was just one scene of many on how Spielberg sets a scene as well as any director alive. As mentioned earlier the characterisation in this movie is wonderful, whether it be the main guys or the co-actors every body has their own distinct personality which makes this movie special. Even in little moments of humour, or fear we get distinctly involved in the characters and the impact this shark has on the peoples lives.
After we see the effects the Shark is having on the community 3 men the dangerously un-hinged fisherman Quint (Shaw), Dr.Hooper the rich Shark expert (Dreyfuss-probably his greatest role) and the main character, everyman chief of police Brody terrifically played by Scheider. They set off on a tiny boat on to the open seas to face this Shark once and for all...this is where the adventure element comes in and where the film truly becomes elite. The actors clearly work off each other in the intimate scenes, especially in the dinner scene where they compare injuries and Quint does the amazing story of the USS Indianapolis. Key to his characterisation.
Also The music when the boat chases the shark with the barrels on him, is filled with exciting swash buckling adventure, as i said before this film has everything. Suspense, adventure,humour in the flaws of the characters- everything. Its as close to a perfectly put together movie you will likely see.
The ending is rousing and exciting as Bordy conquers his fear of the water and faces down the on coming shark, as his boat is barely above water, he's alone with one bullet left to hit the tank he stuffed int he sharks mouth...."Smile you son of a B...." BOOM!!!
This movie is the granddaddy of all suspense movies, and we can see Spielberg at his finest and craftyness creating suspense out of nowhere. You know when you've finished Jaws- you have witnessed as close to a perfect film as humanly possible, an absolute joy and terrifying to watch even 32 years later.