by: JohnSoister
Posted on 04.12.10 in All Horror Films > Monster
Release Date: 1975

Jaws is not only a great movie, it’s also one of those rare instances where the film adaptation is arguably better than the source material.  While Peter Benchley’s critically acclaimed 1974 novel may well have been the definitive work of his career, it suffered from a lackluster ending, was unnecessarily wordy, featured pseudo-documentary-style shark attacks, and paid too much attention to torrid, small town intrigue (Hooper and Mrs. Brody sittin’ in a tree, f-u-c…).

Still, the novel – with all its shortcomings – was really only the beginning.  It would take the genius of then little-known director Stephen Spielberg, a spine-tingling underwater POV, and a terrifying two-note score by John Williams for Jaws to fulfill its potential and terrify people in a way that Benchley’s book never could.

At its core, Jaws is a visual story with a simple message: don’t go in the water.   It taps into that innate human fear that something is lurking out there, waiting to gobble us up, and it’s because of this basic recipe that it succeeds as a movie where other big-screen adaptations of critically acclaimed stories have failed.  If anything, Spielberg’s decision to skimp on the underlying small-town drama and nonessential character development that characterized Benchley’s novel works to the film’s benefit.

The performances from Richard Dreyfus, Roy Schneider, and Robert Shaw are solid and, while Schneider’s “We’re going to need a bigger boat” is one of the most memorable lines in horror movie history, it’s the haunting presence of the shark that steals the show.

As Spielberg demonstrates, the scares are scariest when they’re suggested, and his decision to give the audience a shark’s-eye view of what’s going on beneath the waves packs more of a punch than anything the animatronic figure – affectionately nicknamed “Bruce” – can manage for all its onscreen teeth-gnashing.  Even when the shark isn’t seen, or when the audience isn’t looking through its “eyes,” its presence is felt by the slow buildup of John William’s brilliant two-note score.  What begins slowly quickly turns frantic, and the tension becomes as palpable as the unfortunate swimmer on the receiving end of big, bad Bruce’s teeth.

All in all, Jaws is a phenomenal film, the likes of which have not been seen since suggestion gave way to CGI.

• ★★★★★

  Acting:

• ★★★★★

  Blood:

• ★★★★★

  Violence:

• ★★★★★

  Partying:

• ★★★★★

  Language:

• ★★★★★

  Humor:

• ★★★★★

  Predictable:

• ★★★★★

  Girls:

• ★★★★★

  Gore:

• ★★★★★

  Sexuality:

• ★★★★★

  Torture:

• ★★★★★

  Overall: