Jaws
Published 2019-12-03
Don't go in the water
Film info
- Director
- Year / Run time 1975 · 2hr 4m
- Series Jaws (1 of 2)
- Genres Adventure, Horror, Thriller
- Cast
A beachfront town that relies heavily on summer tourism faces considerable hardship when a great white shark starts taking ragged bites out of visitors - until a trio of men set out on a petrifying quest to slay the beast.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 0:54 | It is amazing how music can just make all the difference. |
| 2:47 | Yelling "I'm not drunk" is a surefire way of proving that you are. |
| 5:02 | None of that was smart, but I really worry about the drunk guy sleeping in the surf. |
| 9:41 | Never has a typewriter been so doom-mongering. |
| 11:36 | "I've got to batten down the beach!" |
| 18:30 | I mean, she's taking revenge on the shark? Bit weird. |
| 22:10 | The nails against the chalkboard is not a way to make people give you ten grand. |
| 26:44 | I feel like they only had a plan for baiting the shark and not catching it. |
| 32:08 | Amazingly clever film-making. Full of dread without even seeing the remains. Just a glimpse. |
| 39:47 | "I'd really like to talk to him." "Yes, so would I." Haha, like Ellen. |
| 42:12 | I think a pint of wine is an acceptable response to a shark on the loose. |
| 43:14 | Rogue shark! |
| 45:22 | "But I'm not drunk enough to go out on a boat." Adorable! |
| 52:16 | Love that someone has painted a shark on the town sign. Naughty but funny. |
| 56:51 | Don't understand the mayor's ploy at this point. He wanted tourists and the tourists are there to seek the shark, so what does it matter if they're in the water or not? |
| 1:04:48 | She's right. No one ever got eaten by a shark in New York. |
| 1:12:21 | Up periscope! |
| 1:21:28 | The scenes are so iconic, you know it's coming but don't know when... still scary. |
| 1:21:38 | WAIT. It's not WE'RE gonna need a bigger boat? |
| 1:33:34 | Robert Shaw tells one heck of a creepy story. |
| 1:45:57 | This film is a masterclass in underestimating your opponent. |
| 1:54:53 | All he ever does is drop things, this Hooper guy. |
| 2:02:37 | "I can't imagine why. " |
Thoughts
Well. I put some thought into what should be the 1000th film, I couldn't decide whether it should be an absolute classic or an absolute terror or just the next film that came along.
In the end, it was a mixture of both. I'd bought Jaws in a sale a few weeks ago, and it does tick the classic box. It doesn't quite fit the festive mood we're going for, but hey, sometimes you've just got to go with the flow.
I love the book, I've read it a couple of times and the film picks out the best of the tension and the most important of the plot developments to generate a tension-filled two hours. From the very start, there's a general feeling of inevitable dread that doesn't let up until that explosion at the end.
I thought the film-making was intensely clever, and the acting was over and above. Some of the moments where you don't have to see what's going on because you get it from their faces and the dialogue.
There were a few moments that went slightly too far for me, the jump scare of the face in the boat and Quint's grisly end were a bit much, but otherwise, it's an almost perfect horror movie.
Rating: 4 / 5
Revisited - Aug 2026
Thoughts
In my initial review, I called this an “almost perfect horror movie.” I have to revise that now. It’s perfect.
The first thing that’s made me start revising my opinion is that I’m obsessed with everything Jaws. I went to see the play The Shark Still Looks Fake which added a new dimension to my understanding of the film, and whenever it pops up on iPlayer, I put it on. Weirdly, for a horror movie about the scariest shark in media, it’s become a bit of a comfort watch.
And that’s because of the craft. Every time I watch it, I notice something new. When they’re on the boat, and the small looks that Hooper and Brody share with each other - realising they’re sharing this voyage with a madman and there’s nothing they can do. Or that adorable moment where Brody taps Hooper on the head to take his glasses, they don’t share any words, they just confirm they’re looking out for each other.
Robert Shaw continues to steal the show, (even over the shark!) and the Indianapolis speech is an outstanding monologue. Contrast that with the desperate screaming during his final tussle with the shark, something I originally objected to, and you’ve got a big range to cover during one movie.
The head in the boat jump scare did feel unnecessary when I watched it the first time, but now I know it’s coming, it doesn’t detract from the rest of the movie, in which every shot is a visual delight and every action earned: that chuckle of delight from Brody when he sees Hooper has survived after all is beautiful. I’m changing this to a top score.
Rating: 5 / 5
