Great cast/dialogue makes this film

Rating: 9/10 (13 December 1999)

Its concept may have revolutionized the way viewers thought about movies (or the beach). Its musical score is arguably the most memorable in movie history. And qualified kudos can even be given for its special effects.
Nevertheless, the very best thing about Jaws is its character interaction.
It is with a certain amount of chagrin that I must admit to having watched this movie literally several dozen times, but I should probably mention that the vast majority of those times were confined to watching the last half of the film--the ocean-going scenes with Brody, Hooper, and Quint that my friends and I affectionately refer to as "The Boat Scene." In my view, the beauty of Jaws is that the special effects of this film are easily overshadowed by the actors and their dialogue. It is difficult indeed (perhaps impossible) to think of another F/X-based movie where this is the case.
So strong are the dialogue and character interaction of the final half of Jaws, that they rescue the film from a number of plot devices ranging from implausible (e.g., a 35' foot shark engaged in a high-speed boat chase) to the sublimely ridiculous (e.g., a 35' foot shark leaping atop a boat to capsize it). In my view, the F/X shark is literally a secondary consideration in this film. Sure, you couldn't have a shark film without it, but the shark alone cannot a good (or even passable) film make . . . as is amply demonstrated by the abysmal Jaws 3D and Jaws the Revenge, as well as by the truly mediocre Jaws II.
It is perhaps worth admitting that the dialogue of the "Boat Scene" is not the only great character interaction in the film--it is simply the best. The acting in Jaws is generally pretty good, but nothing beats the "Boat Scene" and the actors who comprise it. Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss are so good in this film that they clearly elevate Roy Scheider's performance. (If only Scheider's other films starred Shaw and Dreyfuss!)
For the character interaction alone, Jaws is well worth watching, and it fully deserves its place among the AFI's top 100.