Review of Jaws (1975) by Chris O — 29 Jul 2018

A classic tale on the big screen.

One early summer night on fictional Atlantic resort Amity Island, Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while her friends party on the beach. Yanked suddenly below the ocean surface, she never returns. When pieces of her wash ashore, Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) suspects the worst, but Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), mindful of the lucrative tourist trade and the approaching July 4th holiday, refuses to put the island on a business-killing shark alert.

Alright so when I watched this film as a little kid, it scared the shit out of me. I mean, I didn't get in the water for a long time. And I think that speaks volumes to what this film did. It did an amazing job of setting up a film where this story feels so real and it was terrifying. I credit this film for a lot of things and I appreciate it even to this day.

One thing great about this film is the story. It builds the story up so well without ever giving ground. It moves at a steady pace and has one of the best villains in the history of villain. I mean, this Great White was and still is one of the most ferocious villains in cinematic history. I think that says a lot to the story telling aspect and how well this film executed that.

Look, I'm not really a sucker for older films. "Jaws" is certainly a classic but it's not exactly my cup of tea. It felt like the third act ran a bit too long and I couldn't keep my attention span there. That's not to say the film did bad, because it didn't, but it's not historically what appeals to me. With that kept in mind, this movie was great, but I didn't love it.

I don't want to spend too much time writing this because I'm multitasking right now and in the end, we all know how good "Jaws" is. If you haven't watched it, go watch it, soon.