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Peter Benchley writes a chilling novel, John Williams creates a
terrifying yet simplistic score, and finally Steven Spielberg takes the biggest risk of
his then young life and films a movie that’s unparalleled for sheer terror. Jaws
has it all—from great music to great acting (Roy Schieder, Richard Dreyfus, Robert Shaw)
and, considering its age, pretty decent special effects.
Filmed in
Martha’s Vineyard, Jaws is the story of Police Chief Martin Brody (Schieder) and
his family after they move to the quaint, small town of Amityville, USA. Everything
seems wonderful until the body of a teenage girl is discovered on the beach. Now it’s up
to the chief to convince the mayor (Murray
Hamilton) and the rest of the town that
something terrifying is lurking in the deep—something that can swallow a person whole…
Enter Matt Hooper (Dreyfus), the marine biologist and shark specialist (who seems to know
everything there ever was to know about sharks) and Quint (Shaw) a self-professed
shark hunter with more than one screw loose. The three set off to destroy the terror—but
not before a few more victims meet the merciless jaws of the 26-foot great
white.
Jaws is more than just another shark movie. It was the
first shark movie and, in my opinion, the best. The thing I like most about this
classic horror
movie is that no matter how many times I watch it, when the movie
ends, I still get that same feeling—as though I’ve actually just finished reading a
really good book. And let’s not forget about Robert Shaw’s infamous monologue (if
you’ve never seen the movie, keep your eyes and ears peeled for this scene—it’s one of
the best in cinematic history).
One word of caution: I don’t recommend
watching this film if you’re about to go on vacation to a warm place with a beach—the
lingering images can be more than a bit traumatic for swimmers and can cause a fair
amount of unnecessary panic.
So if you’re looking to scare yourself
senseless—or if you’re simply up for a
little sea-faring entertainment—then
Jaws is definitely the movie for you.
