Review of Jaws (1975) by Regoz — 11 Apr 2012

Until recently, my feelings about this movie were ambivalent. The first time I watched this movie was when I was still a child by that time I really enjoyed it. Although, I never considered it -not even then- as a horror movie but more as an action, thriller/adventure movie. Lately, I saw Jaws rated as one of the top 10 horror movies. I got confused for I didn't remember it as that good; thus,I decided to rent it to see if I discovered something new. Quite honestly, I ended up disappointed because this time I watched it from a much more mature, less sensationalistic, and more critical perspective. The result? I found it utterly boring! There were very few good moments and the actors' performances were ok, but they were never great. In fact, Jaws was fatalistic, totally unrealistic, and very slow . The first 30 minutes were truly tedious. There was not a story, just a shark moving around, and killing people out of nothing. Oh...! this too! Was the mayor so stupid to believe that hiding the presence of the shark from the press and public would not affect tourism? Honestly? How ridiculously silly is that??? Even the greediest businessman would have actually done the opposite, for ignoring the danger would have meant his ruin and the ruin of the whole town if someone else got killed!!! But of course such idiotic behaviour can be seen only in bad movies, and we should not forget that Jaws was based in that nonsensical plot.

Furthermore, the shark wasn't really horrifying or threatening but it looked pretty fake. Don't misunderstand me...that wouldn't matter much to me if the plot was logical and attractive -but it wasn't- or if the characters were interesting and well developed- but that was not the case either. Sadly, I never felt particularly connected to any of those characters...I never cared about their fate, because there was no depth there; they were almost caricatures of real people!. So, yeah, JAWS is a classic, and perhaps for many, it was a great movie. Personally, I believe its popularity is due to the fact that it was the first big 'horror' blockbuster; however, there are lots of thrillers/horror movies even older than this one that show much better plots, characters, photography, and are also much more original and interesting than this film (e.g The Birds). Perhaps many of the reasons why people still find it so 'great' is because of the romanticism associated with the idea of the 'classic movies'. We tend to idealize them. Jaws is indeed a classic; nevertheless, if you think JAWS is the BEST movie ever, then you need to watch more films or pick better ones!..and if you think real sharks behave like the one in JAWS, come to Australia and talk to us, see them yourself and talk to those who know (i.e Marine biologists). Sharks are certainly dangerous, but they are not JAWS! Overall, Jaws, is mere fantasy...and if the movie was meant to be just that, then it wouldn't be as bad, but it was meant to be a thriller (or horror!); that is precisely why it is so disappointing and so poor! Jaws...an entertaining film? Perhaps... Good? NEVER!...

Would I watch it again? No, I will not.