Steven Spielberg could not have made this movie today

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 1999)

The million dollar golden boy of film couldn't and wouldn't make a film like Jaws again today. The film was plagued with numerous problems, primarily having to do with a mechanical shark that worked as well as........ well, Spielberg's 1941. These problems meant that Spielberg couldn't rely on ILM to create shocks, he had to create menace out of the old reliable horror tricks of suspenseful soundtrack, horrors unseen, and unique editing. The result is a film that holds up far better than most of his films today. It's the only one, except perhaps Schindler's List that deserves the critical accolades thrown at it. A great movie. The only problem is that most transfers to video are absolutely dreadful.