Jaws (1975)

“I don't think either of one you are familiar with our problems.”

“I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and BITES YOU ON THE ASS!”

            I have lived at the Jersey Shore my entire life. When I tell people that I live at the Shore they give me a look. They look at me like seriously you live at the Shore? You are ass white how does that happen? It happens very easily. First, I run a movie blog I am technically a kind of human vampire that burrows in a dark basement either in an office or on the couch watching movies. Second, the sun is hot it is a demon and it turns me into a red demon-looking creature. Third, getting sand in various orifices is uncomfortable and beyond annoying. Fourth, and most importantly, I do not know what is swimming around me in the murky Jersey water! Anything in the ocean creeps me the fuck out! I have no doubt one of the biggest reasons for not caring too much for the ocean and being terrified at what could be swimming next to me has to do with the nightmare inducing Jaws. Who hasn’t had Jaws-induced dreams in their lives?

            It is summer time on Amity Island. The town is bracing for summer tourists and locals to flock to the beaches. They are also expecting the summer to be quiet and calm just like every summer is. Unfortunately this summer is going to be a little different for Amity Island. A young girl was out for a swim one night when she was attacked in the water and killed. Her body washes up on shore. The whole town is shocked. Police Chief Brody is called to the case. It appears to the untrained eye that she might have been mutilated by a boat or cut up. A scientist named Hooper is brought into town to examine the girl. He tells everyone that she was attacked and killed by a very large shark.

            The mayor of the town refuses to believe that the girl was attacked by a shark. He does not want to scare away the tourists and their money. He proposes that the beach be shut down for twenty-four hours. That plan unfortunately does not work. A small boy and a dog are eaten.

            A group of fishermen and local law enforcement go out looking for the shark. They find one they all believe to be the shark. Hooper tries to tell everyone that the shark they caught is not the shark that killed the boy and girl. That night Hooper and Brody open up the shark since anything it ate within the last twenty-four hours will still be in its stomach. No human remains are found.

            Amity Island is in a panic. Everyone sits on the beach but will not go swimming. The final straw for Brody comes when his son is almost eaten by the shark in a bay. He forces the mayor to sign a contract to hire Quint, an old shark hunter.

            Quint takes Brody and Hooper out on his old fishing boat. They literally fight the monstrous Great White until the end of Quint and the boat.

            Until today I had never watched Jaws in its entirety. Deal with it! I have been getting shit for years from family and friends about never having sat through the whole thing. I have always seen bits and pieces of it since I was little. Having watched certain scenes when I was little made me never want to see this movie and deathly afraid of the ocean! There are a ton of movies I have always wanted to see but never did before and Jaws, despite it scaring me, is on that list. Watching it as a twenty-seven year old, Jaws is not scary. Am I still terrified of sharks? OH HELL YES! It is so obvious the shark was fake. I can totally see how this movie scared the ever living shit out of people back in 1975 when it was released, though. Had I not really known what was coming I would have jumped twenty feet in the air when the head of a guy the shark killed pop through a hole in a downed boat. Holy crow that scene was crazy.

Sorry, I found this gif and had to put it on here. Hope you like seeing your lunch again.

            I liked Jaws. I think it is a good movie. I would not go overboard (ha ha) and say I consider it one of the best movies I have ever seen. I can definitely see why it considered one of the greatest movies ever made and how it had such a huge impact on people and the movie industry when it was released. Nothing like it had ever been done before. Steve Spielberg’s direction and the score by John Williams also made the movie culturally impactful. Everyone, even if you have just seen clips of it, knows the string theme and can picture scenes from the sharks perspective in their minds.  Jaws is a movie that is required to see if you are a movie buff and it is also entertaining. 

This post is dedicated to my friend Kelly. When I asked on my Facebook what movies I should watch Kelly responded in bold letters: JAWS. I work with Kelly and when I mentioned her suggestion her face totally lit up. She told me she does not watch many movies but Jaws is the one movie that when it is on TV she has to watch it. Her and her boyfriend know the entire movie by heart. She was even gracious enough to write up her own quick review: 

Jaws is my favorite movie. I take the back. Jaws is my most favorite fucking movie, ever, and the best fucking movie ever. Period.

Aside from the purely magical acting of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss (Robert Shaw the most, but we'll get into that in a moment) - there is a quote in Jaws applicable to just about every life situation, ever.

I typically equate a person's likeability with how many Jaws lines they can quote in a conversational exchange. No, really.

Additionally, let's talk about Quint for a second. Quint is the embodiment of all that is cool and epic in this universe. Quint GRABS A MACHETE as Jaws is eating him, and stabs the shark as he's being chewed to death! If you don't sit with rapt intent every time that Robert Shaw delivers Quint's Indianapolis speech, you have no soul. People love Chuck Norris? Chuck Norris has got nothing on Quint.

In closing, unless you watch Jaws every single time you find it on cable, regardless of the point in the movie at which you tune in - we probably aren't going to be friends. Just saying.

Kelly (I know you look at my blog!), I hope you approve of my review and we can truly be friends! Thank you for the suggestion.