"We're gonna need a bigger boat." "Jaws is one of the most iconic films ever made. While it is often stereotyped and parodied as a silly movie with a fake-looking shark, it is actually a masterclass in building suspense and offers great performances by its three male leads. Robert Shaw steals the show with his monologue about the war, while Roy Scheider provides the main character transformation and Richard Dreyfuss perfectly embodies his nerdy-yet-bold character. We don't get to know any of the other characters very well but let's face it: this movie is all about the shark and 3 men's journey to kill it. Steven Spielberg perfectly uses the unseen to create images in our imagination that are far more terrifying than anything that he could create onscreen. Hitchcock would have been very proud. I had seen the entire movie several times in segments on tv throughout my life and found the movie to be okay, but I was amazed at how great this movie is when you watch it as a whole. It is hard to believe that you don't actually see the shark until an hour into the film because the film makes perfect use of John Williams' aural representation of the villain. We always know when Jaws is lurking around (and when he isn't even though we think that he is) by simply listening for the music. Like the film, the theme is often stereotyped but in actuality is a masterpiece. Williams' musical character fittingly earned him his first Oscar for an original score. The technical wonder of the film is reflected in its Oscar wins for Best Film Editing and Best Sound, and it certainly would have won an award for Best Visual Effects if there was one in 1976. As far the shark is concerned, its realism still holds up in modern times and continues to make viewers second-guess their upcoming beach vacations. Don't underestimate "Jaws" - it is a classic and should be on everybody's list. Just don't watch it right before a trip to the beach.
[Pictured: We make a lot of assumptions about "Jaws" because it is so often stereotyped, but once you view the entire film in context you will never think of it in the same way again.]
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