Simply Amazing

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2013)

Sometimes things do not go as plans and turn out better than you ever could have hoped. Stephen Spielberg wanted to make a movie about a killer shark but it turned out to be one of the scariest movies of its generation. I'm talking, of course, about Jaws. This thriller has a very simple premise but turned out to be one of the best movies ever made. Filmed on Martha's Vineyard, this film was a pain to shoot, but the reward was well worth it.
Jaws had a really strong cast with Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss. Chief Brody struggles to convince his summer town that there is a killer shark in their waters. The big problem is that it is 4th of July weekend and they need this weekend because tourists bring in all the money the town needs to survive. If word gets out of a killer shark that means no money which means no survival. Murray Hamilton plays the foolish mayor who won't listen to reason. The shark kills a few people and push comes to shove. Brody brings in Matt Hooper, a shark expert, and they figure out the shark is a great white. This thing is a cold blooded eating machine. "All this fish does is eat, sleep, and make baby sharks, it's that simple." Eventually, the town hires Quint, a local fisherman and Brody, Quint, and Hooper venture out to kill the shark. That is our story and it really is done so well.
Jaws is based off a book and they are similar. The basic story is obviously the same, character relationships and development is very similar. The only difference is that Hooper and Brody's wife have an affair. In the movie itself we see them get along and build a relationship and its interesting how Spielberg threw a little tease n there for fans of the book. Also the endings were both different which I also find interesting. The movie ending was way more explosive and enjoyable.
As I said this movie was terrifying when it was released in the 70s, but it was scary by accident. The mechanical shark they used was named Bruce, but the thing never worked. To make up for it they only showed parts of the shark. It takes a long time to see what the full shark looks like. Sometimes it's not what you see that is scary, it's what you don't see, and that is what worked so well. We see a girl screaming for her life and getting dragged around, but we don't see what is doing it. It is almost disturbing but it worked and films have copied this tactic time and time again. There were also a lot of problems filming on the open sea. I mention this because any real fan of film would appreciate to know how hard it was to make this movie and how dedicated the filmmakers were to deliver.
Along with the scary images of a torn leg, a decaying face, and blood being spit out of a mouth while the jaws of the shark pierce into the abdomen are horrifying, John Williams makes it ten times worse with two notes. Everybody knows the Jaws theme and how it starts out slow and picks up. As it gets faster and faster the shark gets closer and closer, and finally strikes. Music makes the movie, I say it all the time, and John Williams proves it once again, and he did it with two notes.
Towards the end of the movie all the focus is on Quint, Hooper, Brody, and the shark. Hooper and Quint's relationship is really hysterical. It is old school verses new school. Quint is the rugged fisherman who just makes it up as he goes along. Hooper is the rich college boy with a plan. They butt heads a lot and their sarcastic remarks back and forth are very entertaining.
My favorite scene in the entire movie is towards the end when the three men are on the boat telling stories of how they got their scars from sharks or whatever. Then Quint tells a true story of the USS Indianapolis. The USS Indianapolis was a cruiser that sank and all the sailors were in the water and over a few days sharks attacked and killed mostly everyone. Quint was on that ship and he tells the story. Robert Shaw gives one of the best speeches I have ever seen in any movie. The way he tells the story. "And the thing about a shark is he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes." He describes sharks really well and that story was not something I expected form the movie. The true story takes the audience out of the movie and you feel sadness. We dig into Quint's character and even the way the camera just focuses on Quint and how he tells the story. This is a scene I watch twice every time because I love the way he delivers the speech. The only problem I have with the movie itself is that there are two scenes that scare the daylights out of me and I still can't what, and it is impossible to understand what Quint is saying without subtitles.
Overall, Jaws is a classic and I love the way it was made, the people in it, and the movie itself. The movie works and it is nearly flawless. Jaws is a movie everybody alive in this world needs to see at least once. I bought this on blu ray and it was the best up converted movie I have seen so far. The picture was perfect and the sound was amazing. Sometimes I find myself constantly changing the volume of my surround sound but not with Jaws. Jaws easily gets the WillyT Seal of Approval.