 |
| Jaws (1975) |
One of the great things about this movie is how minimalist it is. I was expecting a scene on the beach with all the tourists out in the water and for lots of them to just get ripped apart one by one. That really doesn't happen, though I imagine it might have if it was made today. The shark is a huge presence in this movie, but it isn't on screen for maybe 95% of the movie. The way they build it up is honestly really gripping. Right after the first shark attack, seeing anyone in the water had me nervous. The film does a great job of putting you in Brody's shoes in that regard. Having a lot of the townspeople relay their petty problems to him at the beginning is great since he, and you, are not listening to them, with only the shark at the front of your mind. In that sense, it does a great job of getting you on board with Brody's phobia. I'm not a huge swimmer myself, and rarely go to the beach, but if I had seen this as a kid, I'd have been straight up terrified of going anywhere near the water. Kudos, movie. Kudos, and f*** you.
 |
| The shark |
The shark itself also looks great. I understand it happened by circumstance, but I love how little we actually see of the shark until the final encounter. Fear of the unknown is always more interesting than fear of the known, and even though we know it's a shark, the fact that we don't get a good look at it until so much later in the movie is a genius tactic. It honestly put me on edge, to the point where during these tense scenes in the water, the thing that scared me the most, and actually made me jump in my seat, was something that wasn't even the shark itself. Just the general atmosphere surrounding the creature is honestly the best thing about this movie. Not only does the shark itself look great, but so do all the blood effects and the attacks themselves. It's weird to harp on about this, but this was revolutionary in 1975. This shark was impressive, and the fact that it still holds up today is even moreso.
 |
| Roy Scheider as Brody |
I also really love how straight-forward the story itself is. There's no real bigger plot beyond 'a shark's killing people'. I was honestly expecting some kind of property tycoon scheming to keep the beaches open so the shark attacks will drive up house values inland, but I'm certainly happy they didn't go down that path. The mayor strays into that territory a little, but even he's not a schemer; he just wants what's best for his town, and that ambition was a little misplaced at times. I also really like how the movie is essentially split into two halves. The first half is building up the shark and having it attack tourists, while people are scrambling to figure out what to do about it. This perfectly builds up the second half, when 3 people go out into open waters to hunt it. The first half establishes the shark as something bigger than you'd think, but still 'just' a shark. The second half of the movie throws all that out of the window, and proves this shark to be the king of all sharks, bigger and stronger than any other. The struggle to bring it down is long, hard and arduous, but it doesn't drag out for so long as to become boring or repetitive. Half of the movie is just set on the open ocean, and it didn't bore me. That's an impressive feat.
 |
| Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper |
And the characters are great as well. Scheider does a fantastic job as Brody, and he plays the character so relatable and down-to-earth. He's just so likeable, and, like I said earlier, his fear of the water really helps with that, since you're afraid of what's in the water after the opening scene as well. Dreyfuss is amazing as Hooper, and he might just be my favourite character in the movie. He's the voice of authority in the first act, and Dreyfuss really conveys that learned aspect of the character really well, but he also does a great job in the more humourous moments, which are sparse, but certainly welcome when they come up. Robert Shaw plays Quint really well, too. He's delightfully crazy, and just what you want in a sea captain like this. When it gets to the more sympathetic moments, and everything calms down a little, he also does a great job of drawing you in. Hell, that scene with the three of them on the boat discussing their past injuries is probably my favourite scene in the entire movie. It's just so real, all of them palling around with each other, telling old stories and singing shanties. It really helped to build the comradery between them so when things go south later, and they're at each others throats again, it's all the more bitter.
 |
| Robert Shaw as Quint |
Guys, honestly, what's not to like about Jaws (1975)? Great characters, great pacing, great atmosphere, great 'villain', great build-up, it's just great all-round. The only bad part is that now my OCD will compel me to eventually watch the sequels, and I know I won't have a good time with them. Still, that doesn't hold this movie back. 10/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment