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Rating: 5 out of 5
“Duunnn dunnn… duuuunnnn duun… duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun”
We all know the music and what lies beneath the calm surface of the water. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws has had a bigger impact and scared the living crap out of people than most movies. I personally don’t know how to swim, and this movie right here definitely doesn’t make me want to go to the beach. I might get eaten. I have seen Jaws many times, and this past time, it still kept me on the edge of my seat. Made my skin become covered in goosebumps and even provided me with the laughs and entertainment I always crave. Few movies can stand the test of time, and this movie still outdoes itself. This movie is not only a classic but an all-time great!
Jaws is considered one of the greatest movies of all time, but it is much more than that. It’s a movie that has been ranked as one of the greatest films ever made in terms of story, dialogue, music, and characters. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music) while winning three for Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Music. AFI, American Film Institute, ranked Jaws in many of its categories from being #48 in 100 movies, #2 on its 100 Thrills, the film’s score ranked #6 on the 100 Years of Film Scores, Roy Scheider’s line “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” ranked #35 on the 100 movie quotes and having the villain, shark, ranked as #18 on its 100 Heroes and Villains list.
Jaws is considered the pioneer and first-ever summer blockbuster that revolutionized the movie industry. All those movies that come out during the summer, better thank Jaws for doing oh so well. Here are some facts, according to an article by Variety that Tim Gray wrote. Jaws made over $7 million in its opening weekend, which is pennies now but baller status back when it debuted. It overtook The Godfather as the highest-grossing film at the North American box office in 76 days. The movie’s profit continued to grow with each day to week. What contributed to this wide success??? T.V.! T.V. was a crucial factor in marketing. Most movies didn’t have trailers promoting films. Universal bought nationwide prime-time ads to promote the movie, which worked.
The movie takes place over the Fourth of July weekend on Amity Island, a small tourist resort that makes all of its money on the visitors that come. The peaceful little is soon turned upside down when Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while her friends’ party on the beach. While swimming in the calm ocean, she is suddenly yanked below the ocean’s surface, disappearing from the world. Her body washes ashore in the morning. The shark continues its bloody dining fest when the Mayor orders local fishermen to catch the culprit. When the fisherman catches a shark they think is the one, the Mayor orders the festivities of Fourth of July to continue. Visiting ichthyologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) states that the shark they caught isn’t the one. He says that it is probably a great white shark but is quickly dismissed by the Mayor but not Chief Brody. When the shark dines on the tastiest people at the beach, Brody and Hooper join forces with ole sea captain Quint (Robert Shaw), the only local fisherman willing to take on a Great White with a smile and a tale to tell. The three rides off on Quint’s boat to face their enemy. Soon they realize their enemy is a force to be reckoned with.
I want to take a moment and applaud director Steven Spielberg. You, sir, deserve a round of applause for the movie that you made. No movie put in more suspense, fear and was a thrill ride than this all-time classic. What made this movie, so good is Spielberg’s direction, the cinematography, the music, and the overall tone, atmosphere, and pace of this great film. I’m getting goosebumps and chills while writing this review.
Spielberg employs and uses the fear of the unknown to drive this movie. We all have been to the beach and chilled. Yet, we never really take it the whole world underneath the water. The more you think about it, the ocean is a very dangerous and unexplored place. Spielberg plays on the fears of the unknown. Hell, the opening scene was very intense. A young girl, skinny dipping, and the next thing you know, she is screaming for her life before being pulled under. The last scene after her death was the stillness of the ocean. Yet, Spielberg takes it one step further by not showing the freakin’ shark for over half the movie. You know it’s a shark, you even sense that it is a shark, yet you never see how big it is or what terrifying features it has. Using this subtle but effective trick is what makes this movie so great. It keeps the suspense so alive and high that it literally gives you chills. Spielberg plays it beautifully.
The scene where the two men are fishing. The shark takes the tube and swims off with it. The next thing you know the pier, the two men are on breaks, and one falls far in the ocean. I thought, “Damn! That’s his ass! He is about to get eatin'” The music blasts as the man desperately swims back. You know he is being chased because the pier literally turns around and gives chase. When the man survives, the music disappears, and the last image is the pier floating on the bank. Another scene that displays Spielberg’s use of the unknown is during the Fourth of July. The beach is packed, and poppin’ yet the sense of something wrong is so high that you have the feeling something is going to go wrong.
As you watch, you get a slight calm as two boys’ play a trick, and then they are surrounded by cops. You take a breath and the music plays and its shark time. You catch a glimpse of the body of the shark, and you’re like, “NOPE! NOT TODAY!” because that boy is big and a monster. Spielberg wraps the unknown of the shark in a bow with the official debut of the shark. When Brody is complaining and throwing food over the side of the boat. Just the way the shark appears makes you jump out of your seat. It doesn’t roar or even try to eat the man. It appears out of the water, and you know that the three men are against some significant odds. Just the reaction of Brody is priceless when he says the famous line, “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” I was like, “Man! You bring a bazooka because he is eating all of y’all! Y’all done messed up!”
The cinematography is another excellent factor in this movie. Just giving different points of view of characters gave us a sense of fear but also what it would be like during a shark attack. Spielberg does his work in this area. Just think of the first scene. We see the world through the shark’s eyes as it swims through the ocean, passing all types of sea creatures. Then we get to the scene with the young lady swimming. We are looking up towards the girl because that is what the shark sees. Yet the overall scene is intense as it is dark, and when everything is over, just the stillness of the ocean is left. Another scene that portrays the fear of the characters is when Chief Brody is on the beach with his family. He is tense but tries to relax. When the shark attack happens, the camera quickly zooms in on him. The fear comes alive in his face, and you sense it.
Now, if I applauded director Steven Spielberg, I MUST applaud John Williams for composing the film’s score but also coming up with the dreaded and fearful “shark” theme. No song is so connected with a shark than the song he made. We have all sat in the pool, playing with people and suddenly acted like a shark. In our mind, we start off slow going, “Duunnn dunnn… duuuunnnn duun” as we approach. The song is put at all the right places because that’s when we know the shark is about to attack. What makes the music so great and the shark theme is it starts off so soft and light. As the shark approaches, it speeds up more and more. Song gives me chills.
Jaws is an all-time classic. After all these years, it stills makes the heart pump and send goosebumps to my skin. Steven Spielberg directed a masterpiece with the genius of composer John Williams. Spielberg takes you on a ride like no other of fear. Next time you go to the beach. Don’t watch Jaws. Something might grab you and take you into the abyss…………“Duunnn dunnn… duuuunnnn duun”
