A classic and thrilling movie. Review on Jaws Movie

In 1977 while working on a new movie, Steven Spielberg was having problems. The movie was taking longer to film than expected and was well over budget. Some of the mechanical models used simply were not working the way they were supposed to. Steven Spielberg was approached and asked if he wanted to 'fire' the movie and help the movie company make back the money elsewhere. However, as he was young, and perhaps because this was only his second movie (Duel being his first) he agreed to persevere as long as he could produce a movie within a reasonable time and within a reasonable time limit.

On completion, Steven Spielberg attended one of the openings. He never sits down at an opening and was therefore watching from the doorway. As he watched, and during a particularly gruesome scene, a lone man stood up and began to walk to the doorway. Spielberg took this as a bad sign. The man started to run towards the doorway, further proof that this was a bad movie, perhaps too scar. The man puked at the doorway and ran into the bathroom. Spielberg was very dismayed by this and assumed the movie would fail. Five minutes later, the man came out of the bathroom and returned to his seat. It was at this point that Spielberg realized he had a hit.

Jaws

Based on a novel by Peter Benchley and drawing from the experience and style of Duel, this movie is a suspenseful thriller. From very early on we are left in no doubt about how gruesome and frightening the movie will be.

A woman swimmer is swimming on a gentle lazy summers evening on Amity Island. Suddenly we get our first glimpse of Jaws as we see her torn to shreds, as she becomes a midnight snack for the shark. This is a brutal beginning and forewarns us of what is to come - the squeemish should leave the theater at this point.

Martin Brody (Roy Schneider), the Chief of Police, insists that in order to maintain safety that the beaches should be closed. The Mayor refuses due to the 4th of July celebrations that are approaching. This is a mistake as we begin to see more shark attacks.

Brody decides to enlist the help of experts in order to track down and destroy the killer shark. With an oceanic expert, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) and a hardened shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) they set out in a large boat searching for 'Jaws'

The movie becomes very suspenseful as we see a struggle between man and animal. The hunters (or perhaps hunted?) use various techniques to track the murderous shark. Firstly they stumble across an old fishing boat, and gruesomely discover that Jaws has been there. Wee see an almost Sherlock Holmes investigation as the intrepid trio track the shark. Using raw meat they try to entice Jaws out into the opening; it is with this technique that we finally get our first fearsome view of Jaws as we suddenly realize how small the boat they are on is.

We begin to see the depth of experience of the characters as they swap stories at night, giving the movie a little comedy, almost like the calm before the storm. We see Brody as a father and a police chief as he not only worries about his family but also his community. Quint is a complex character that almost has a death wish as he hunts and kills sharks. We get a sense that Jaws is hell bent on revenge and that the whole story is really a battle between Quint and Jaws. Hooper is perhaps the weakest character, but is still complex. He seems a little out of place amongst these 'heroes' but we realize that his expertise is essential for a successful mission.

The movie continues on in a suspenseful way as the trio risk life and limb in order to protect the beaches. The ending is particularly brutal and frightening. I will not go into any details (although I am sure most will have seen the movie) suffice to say that there are a few surprises along the way, and not all of the main characters survive the voyage.

Music

One thing that Spielberg realized early on is that music can add an element of suspense to any movie. I doubt there is not one person who does not listen to the Da Dah Da Dah and doesn't know what it represents (an immanent shark attack). This shows how the music itself can build anticipation and suspense. You know the shark is coming, you just don't know the culmination of the attack!

My Opinion

This movie is one of the best 'horror' suspense movies of all time. Drawing from Hitchcock but also from Spielberg's amazing talents. Generally horror movies are unbelievable; what makes Jaws special is that it is very close to reality thus making it more frightening.

The cinematography is excellent. From the underwater view of an attack to the scenes where we view captured sharks, Spielberg has tapped into a way of filming that is gruesome, compelling and very frightening. The movie has a way of waking you up; one of the most famous scenes is where they discover the ruined fishing boat - I for one did not expect a severed head to suddenly appear out of nowhere. This therefore keeps you on your toes, but generally the movie does continue to frighten you.

The combination of gruesome graphics and suspenseful music are excellent. The music really enhances the movie; almost letting you know what is about to happen. It amazes me that I still get shocked when certain elements in the movie happen.

To round the whole movie off, the acting is excellent. All three actors pull off great and convincing roles (my favorite being Robert Shore). They portray their characters well, and if you have read the book, manage to make the book's characters spring to life.

What makes this movie great for me is that it has transformed the book into a movie - and for once the movie is as good as the book if not better.

Conclusion

This movie is one of my personnel favourites. It has everything a good movie should have - suspense, humour, love, honour, fear and anger. It combines visual, sound and acting to produce an overall classic.

The movie gives a reality that is unrivalled throughout movie making - as an example - when I watched the movie first I was 10 years old. After watching the movie, we walked out of the cinema. It was raining; I avoided every one of those puddles on the way home, just in case.

At the time, this movie was the biggest grossing movie of all time - it has since been surpassed by other Spielberg movies (e.g. ET) but even now, after 24 years it still stands out as a classic example of movie making,