The Perfect Film

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2017)

Ask yourself what Jaws is? Is it a Thriller? A Horror flick? An Adventure story? A Drama? The correct answer is that it's all of these things. It's a blockbuster! It's the definition of a movie that triumphs in terms of entertainment. Citizen Kane is considered the founder of films since it invented many cinematic techniques and styles used in films. Well if that's true, then Jaws is the legend of films. After this movie, everybody wanted to be Jaws. But why is that?
First of all it's a masterful retelling of the novel, Jaws, by Peter Benchley, and the film adaptation is also a massive improvement over the original story. The cast is amazing, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss pull off amazing performances and make one feel invested in the story since we're invested in the characters. They all feel like unique characters that break away from traditional clichÃ©s associated with their character types. More importantly, they have amazing chemistry since they all play off one another. This is something Hollywood couldn't do today since it would be too concerned with appealing to ethnic and gender diversity rather than acting diversity. The cast is perfect.
Additionally, Jaws replaces boring plot elements to create better pacing and it carries a tone appropriate for both horror movies and adventure movies. That's because it has a two act structure that works even with two different atmospheres for each act. The first act feels like a horror movie and functions as one while the second act feels like an oceanic adventure. This works because the intense tone is consistent throughout the story even as the atmosphere undergoes an evolution between the two acts. Why? John Williams! John Williams amazing score makes the movie lively and thrilling. Few scores can compare to the iconic theme for Jaws. The story is masterfully done and allows one to be entertained for the entire film.
Jaws is also a massive victor in cinematography. The shark used in the film, Bruce, had massive problems that caused it break down constantly. Therefore, Spielberg decided to utilize as many shots that didn't show the shark on screen. This may seem lazy, but it actually works beautifully since the film plays off the fear of the unknown. By not seeing the attacker, the shark is more terrifying than it would be if we actually saw it. By the time we do see the shark, it's far beyond our wildest expectations and even then shown only occasionally. Additionally, the usage of first person shots for the shark, shots set between the water line, wide-scale shots, and close ups, we manage to see the story through multiple angles which makes the story all the more real to us. And if John Williams score wasn't already amazing enough, it further makes the cinematography feel epic.
This whole movie is epic, and it continues to hold up to this day. It has one of the greatest legacies for a film. When you're film managed to lower beach attendance and make people afraid to go swimming, you know you did something right. The film is timeless and can be enjoyed by absolutely anyone. Steven Spielberg's greatest masterpiece and my personal favorite film of all time, Jaws is a brilliant movie that I will love forever.