Review of Jaws (1975) by Johnathon W — 29 May 2015

Iconic monster movie/summer blockbuster film that remains a classic, especially when compared to those that followed. Watching "Jaws", it's easy to see where so many 'blockbuster' films that followed failed, as it's just a well-crafted film.

The cast is superb, with the heroes consisting of middle-aged, experienced men over teenagers, with Spielberg giving his actors time to develop. The dinner scene on the boat is essential, not only in giving one of the best scenes of these actors careers (the late Robert Shaw's speech about serving on the USS Indianapolis is a master-class in acting) but also allowing us to care about the characters, so that when they confront the shark, you fear for them.

Behind the camera, Spielberg keeps the story tight & the writers actually improve on the book (an adultery subplot & one involving illegal land deals was wisely cut). Plus, he doesn't show too much of the shark, not just because the mechanical creature was hard to work with but because Spielberg understood letting audiences use their imaginations was scarier than anything Hollywood can create.

Just a superb film from beginning to end, and still the standard of what summer blockbusters & monster films should be.