Definitely not overrated!

Rating: 9/10 (14 July 2008)

Jaws, a thrilling horror film, is set on the fictitious Amity Island in the mid-seventies. The film focuses on a series of shark attacks and a subsequent shark hunt. Jaws is based on a bestselling novel by Peter Bentley, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The groundbreaking 1975 film has won Academy Awards for Film Editing, Music, and Sound. Its cast is full of talented actors, including Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss.
The acting seen in this film is phenomenal. Roy Schneider perfectly depicts the paranoid police officer from New York, Martin Brody, who is terrified of water. Schneider plays the part so well that the viewer can almost feel Brody's terror throughout the film, especially whenever he is anywhere near water. Robert Shaw is very convincing as Quint, a mad fisherman obsessed with shark hunting. Shaw's believable persona reminds me of Ahab, the crazed captain who devoted his life to the hunt for Moby Dick. Richard Dreyfuss portrays the geeky, shark-savvy "college boy" exceptionally well, adding comic relief to the otherwise morbid film with his dark sense of humor.
Although Jaws was released over thirty years ago, its special effects are extremely believable. The first two shark attacks seen in the film are frightening, but not because viewers can see the actual shark; in fact, Jaws is only implied in these scenes. These shark attacks are chilling to watch because the viewer can sense the fear and pain and agony of the victim; he or she can see the water turning from blue-gray to red; the viewer can hear the shrill, desperate cries for help. The last shark attack of the film, however, is disturbing on a different level. In this scene, both the victim and Jaws are visible. It's graphic and realistic. In addition, the cadavers seen in the film aren't false-looking; the twisted remains of Jaws' victims are grisly and grotesque.
I first saw Jaws in my English class when I was a junior in high school. I was expecting it to be incredibly lame, but I was pleasantly surprised. Jaws is a great movie. It's suspenseful, scary, interesting, and funny. The acting and special effects are believable. The score succeeds in "setting the scene" throughout the film. The screenplay is well-written. Steven Spielberg does a fantastic job as the director; he's very good at capturing emotion, especially fear and panic. Jaws is definitely worth seeing, even if you've never seen it before or you think it's overrated. You should give it a shot. I doubt you'll regret it.