Review of Jaws (1975) by Lauren%20 F — 25 May 2017

Jaws - The number one horror movie known to keep people away from the beach, and also a timeless classic. I tell ya, I have never been the type to be scared during, nor after films - I get startled easily by jumpscares, but for the most part, it's just easily brushed off. Not this film. It was intense throughout the whole ride, from start to finish, and it don't hurt that the effects at the time still hold up beautifully, thanks to Spielberg's amazing talent in film work and dedication. I will say that the story itself was predictable - but that's a given when you have a lot of later films copying off of this one to ride on its coattails. Like, you could tell that someone was going to die in that scene where the people are swimming in the water on Fourth of July, but at the same time, it seemed like it was intended to be that way to build up suspense, and that it did. It goes to show that predictability can sometimes make something pretty unpredictable.

Not only that, but the characters in Jaws were both very memorable and relatable, something that is unheard of in a lot of horror movies. In most horror films, you got these either morally ambiguous or grade A jerks that end up being eaten, and then you have the protagonist who acts as the audience surrogate. Here, our main guy is Chief Martin Brody, and while he is the chief of police in Amity Island, you also see that he has a family that he wants to protect from the man eating shark lurking in the ocean. In one scene, you see the three main heroes hunting down Jaws, Quint, Brody, and Hooper, all of them talking together over a drink telling horror stories about their adventures by the ocean. Not only does it help with relating with the audience, but it makes the possible death of any of them all the more intense and that kind of storytelling is what makes Jaws so memorable. It's a story and characters first, effects and scares second - they don't have to rely on cheap gore or shock to make people invested and enjoy the film. People come back for the adventure of it all, and the impact that it has on them in how it combines its horror elements with its great writing and development is enough on its own to be a classic on any movie shelf.