Review of Jaws (1975) by Carlin A — 30 May 2017

Jaws is no doubt one of the most iconic movies of all time and a prominent part of our cultural literacy. How many variations of "We're going to need a bigger boat." have you seen or heard in your everyday life? It is easy to see why Jaws became the first big summer blockbuster film. The visual effects still hold up even with today's standards. If you pause the film, you may be able to see how fake the mechanical shark actually looks, but combined with Spielberg's masterful camera work, he has been able to fool audiences for decades. However, it isn't the shark that makes the film so great, but the lack thereof. The shark isn't actually shown until halfway through the movie, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. An invisible enemy combined with the iconic soundtrack by John Williams creates an aura of suspense that is palpable.

The scene that really makes this movie memorable is the speech delivered by Quint to Hooper and Chief Brody out on the Orca after comparing scars and sharing drinks. He describes the weeks he spent floating in the sea after the Indianapolis sank, watching his crewmates get eaten by swarming sharks. Throughout the movie Quint is your stereotypical sea captain, singing sea shanties and drinking almost nothing but booze. Robert Shaw's stony faced, slightly slurred delivery is remarkable, horrifying the audience just as much as it horrified Hooper and Brody. This speech reveals to us why Quint is the way he is while making his death that much more ironic. The thing that has haunted him for most of his life is what ultimately ends up killing him.