Review of Jaws (1975) by Alison C — 28 Oct 2013

This movie is so brilliant and wonderful! I still can't get over that Spielberg made it when he was 26. I'm 26! I love that this, like many other Spielberg movies, has a double layer. On the surface, it's a great, entertaining, fun movie. But there's this under-layer of deepness. In this case about the inadequacy of the efforts of this flawed hero to protect people. The rows of broken and derelict fences reflect Brody's futile efforts to defend the community from the leviathan threatening them. (yeah, I got a bit pretentious, I know) As much as I love this movie, I still hate watching poor Mrs. Kitner. :( And I admit the shark at the end is a bit silly but I don't care even a little. And Quint. Can we talk about how awesome Robert Shaw is for a second? Quint his hilarious, has a powerful presence, and is oh so entertaining. The three guys play off of each other so well. The last act at sea is so fun.

The cinematography and editing are brilliant. Especially at the Alex Kitner attack scene, When Brody is nervously watching the water and there's all those false alarms. The way it's shot and edited with the wipes moving closer to Brody so quickly really set the tense mood. That guy blocks our shot and Brody's view. It's so well done at making you see and feel what Brody does. freaking brilliant.