An Immortal Classic That Almost Wasn't

Rating: 10/10 (10 October 2017)

I can never remember how old I was when I first sat down to watch this beloved masterpiece, but I can say that it has stuck with me for the better part of 20+ years. My mom introduced me and my brother to this when we were young and we never stopped loving it. Even though we were obviously not even thought of when this movie came out, she told us that there were quite a number of people who lined up to see it and, as we would come to find out, were a bit skittish to go back into the water...for obvious reasons.
Through reading, this was a creature feature that was only supposed to get a limited theatrical release back in 1975. Thanks to some quick thinking and the like, just about everyone and their brother went to the theater to see this and would become a box office smash in almost no time. With a vintage horror movie like this, there is not a lot of blood but enough to make a point. When it comes to this tale, you really don't need it. The book (which was pretty good) was far bloodier than the movie.
Anyway, what I like about this is that you don't see the shark until almost halfway through the movie. When the shark attacks Chrissie in the very beginning, all you see is her being jerked around and then eventually pulled under. With Alex Kintner, all you see is a silhouette of the shark and then the boy being pulled under. Like "Alien," it leaves you with the thought that you are certainly not alone when you go out into the unknown.
And let's not forget the trademark theme. To quote Steven Spielberg to composer John Williams: "Two notes? That's it?" Those two notes have since gone down into movie legend. The theme has been used in other TV shows and movies, some not necessarily horror-related. It is probably one of the best movie themes to serve as a prelude for incoming danger.
This is vintage movie magic, bar none. It was one of many movies that propelled Mr. Spielberg to stardom today. Without lines like "You're going to need a bigger boat," "Jaws" just wouldn't be the same. (By the way, "You're going to need a bigger boat" was not in the script; it was improvised by the late Roy Scheider.) There are two production companies today that owe their names to this movie: Bad Hat Harry and A Bigger Boat.
In truth, it wasn't because of "Jaws" that has kept me out of the water; it's just that I never formally learned how to swim. Hey, there are some people to this day who won't venture out into the open water because of "Jaws." If you have never even seen or heard of this classic, please watch it. I don't know of too many people who haven't seen or heard of this. Watch it over and over. I'm 30 and I can't say how many times I've watched it since I was a little boy.