Jaws Jaws Jaws

 

"Jaws" is one of, if not the, most well know films in history. 

It follows the story of a killer white shark that is terrorizing the waters of a small town called Amity Island. Amity is a beach town that makes the bulk of its annual revenue during the summer, so when Chief Martin Brody is late to choose between following orders or keeping civilians safe, the shark hunts on the visitors of Amity. 

After a few tragic deaths, Brody works with Hooper, a marine biologist, and Quint, a professional shark hunter to kill the beast one and for all.

What could I possibly say about "Jaws" that hasn't already been said? It was an epic box office success, the first film ever to be shot on the ocean, and was the highest grossing film of all time until the release of the first Star Wars film in 1977.

So, why didn't I like it very much?

Well, for starters, this class has helped me to realize that I am not the biggest fan of older, slowly-paced film. The first part of the film takes a long time to get to the bigger portion of the plot which is the actual hunting of the shark. The back and forth dilemma the public the visitors or making money, (which still holds true and very realistic in our society today) was a bit overdrawn and I would have liked to "dive in" to the action a bit sooner. 

(you see what I did there? "dive in", because it takes place in the ocean...)

Also, I found it a bit strange that production decided to use both a puppet and a REAL SHARK in the film. The fact that they were essentially playing with a decaying shark on set is kind of disturbing. 

But with that being said, I applaud the efforts to be so technical with the choice of props and locale. It was a bold choice for Spielberg, and it pays off pretty well. 

Overall rating: 7/10