The best shark movie ever made

Rating: 9/10 (6 May 2000)

Few can argue that "Jaws" was the best shark/sea adventure movie ever made. A plot and character-driven work of art, so many scenes are memorable that it's hard to know where to begin -- the famous "Indianapolis" scene, where Robert Shaw blows us away with his acting; Hooper's confrontation in the shark cage; Quint's mad run for shore, with the shark chasing the boat; and of course the finale where (surprise!) it's Chief Brody who scores the triumph over the shark.
Some may complain about the mechanical shark, with which there were endless problems during filming. Before you do so, try to imagine it being done with computer graphics. I'd rather see a few obviously fake-looking scenes (and really, there were VERY few of these) than see that shark in (un)glorious CGI. So many movies these days take the cheap way out with computer graphics... it takes great artistry to make computer-generated images look seamless and real. Many filmmakers don't seem to realize that, or they just don't care, and so we get obviously digital-looking junk.
Spielberg has finally relented and is releasing Jaws on DVD this summer! Look for many glorious extras -- I'm positive a brand new "making of" is already completed, or is in the works. Now those who were too young to see it at the theater when it came out (I was 11, and lucky enough to see it on the big screen) will get to see it in much of its original, restored glory. If you don't have a big-screen TV or home theater system, watch it on a computer DVD-player (preferably with surround-sound speakers) for a simulated big-screen experience.
Rating: 10/10