Jaws
UK Release Date: 26 December 1975
Certification: 12A
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gray, Murray Hamilton, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw
Rating: 93%
Review:
Jaws is an absolute classic. It was the first movie to gross one hundred million dollars worldwide and started the trend of the summer blockbuster (US Release Date: 20 June 1975). Jaws is my third favourite movie of all time.
The soundtrack of Jaws, created by legendary composer John Williams, is one of the most iconic and recognisable pieces of music of all time. The use of the music is integral in building tension and suspense. Whenever you hear the main theme you fear that someone is in danger.
The story of the movie is incredibly simple. A shark terrorises the beaches of a small, tourist-dependant fictional island, Amity Island. The mayor of Amity Island puts together a team - a local police chief, a marine biologist and an old seafarer - who are tasked to hunt and kill the shark. As I said, simple, but it kept me intrigued throughout and lays the foundations for a great movie.
The shark is the main antagonist of the movie. I think one of the things that makes the shark interesting and terrifying is that parts of Jaws are shot from the shark's point of view. The shark is only on screen for around about five minutes. This may be because Jaws was released in 1975 and Universal's budget wasn’t very high, but still, it is impressive that the shark can be on the screen for so little time and be so terrifying. Like any good storyteller, Steven Spielberg uses the audiences imagination to ramp up the suspense.
The movie's visual effects do not hold up well after four decades. You can tell that the shark isn’t real and you can tell dismembered body parts are made of wax.
However the relationship between the three main characters, played brilliantly by Dreyfuss, Scheider and Shaw, stands the test of time. Great characters will always be watchable.
I haven’t seen any of the sequels, but from what I’ve heard I don’t really want to and I think it would ruin my experience of the brilliant original Jaws.
Certification: 12A
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gray, Murray Hamilton, Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw
Rating: 93%
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| "You're gonna need a bigger boat" |
Jaws is an absolute classic. It was the first movie to gross one hundred million dollars worldwide and started the trend of the summer blockbuster (US Release Date: 20 June 1975). Jaws is my third favourite movie of all time.
The soundtrack of Jaws, created by legendary composer John Williams, is one of the most iconic and recognisable pieces of music of all time. The use of the music is integral in building tension and suspense. Whenever you hear the main theme you fear that someone is in danger.
The story of the movie is incredibly simple. A shark terrorises the beaches of a small, tourist-dependant fictional island, Amity Island. The mayor of Amity Island puts together a team - a local police chief, a marine biologist and an old seafarer - who are tasked to hunt and kill the shark. As I said, simple, but it kept me intrigued throughout and lays the foundations for a great movie.
The shark is the main antagonist of the movie. I think one of the things that makes the shark interesting and terrifying is that parts of Jaws are shot from the shark's point of view. The shark is only on screen for around about five minutes. This may be because Jaws was released in 1975 and Universal's budget wasn’t very high, but still, it is impressive that the shark can be on the screen for so little time and be so terrifying. Like any good storyteller, Steven Spielberg uses the audiences imagination to ramp up the suspense.
The movie's visual effects do not hold up well after four decades. You can tell that the shark isn’t real and you can tell dismembered body parts are made of wax.
However the relationship between the three main characters, played brilliantly by Dreyfuss, Scheider and Shaw, stands the test of time. Great characters will always be watchable.
I haven’t seen any of the sequels, but from what I’ve heard I don’t really want to and I think it would ruin my experience of the brilliant original Jaws.
A classic!
ReplyDeleteYes, a classic
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