Jaws

Cast: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw and Lorraine Gary.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: 1975

Running Time: 2hrs 4 minutes

Genre: Thriller

Rating:  12

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

On Amity Island a small community rely on their beaches to bring in the tourists however, when new Sheriff Martin Brody finds the remains of a shark attack victim, his first choice of course is to close the beaches, naturally this doesn't sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn, so it's decided that perhaps the shark should be caught, before it does anymore killing, Marty Brody turns to marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and a fishermen Quint (Robert Shaw) for his help, lets just say not everything goes as planned! Prepare for the thrills!

Based on Peter Benchley's best selling novel of the same name, Spielberg brings us one of the best thrillers of the 1970's! It's hard to believe when this film was in production that Steven Spielberg wasn't a very well known director at all, and ironically actually took over the job of another director, as the production team didn't feel like the film was convincing enough. Spielberg was that man! I think it's safe to say it was probably a wise choice as "Jaws" has gone onto be one of the best selling thrillers of the past forty two years! Spielberg has come incredibly far with his career since making this film, however it's still to this date one of his best pieces of work. Despite Spielberg cutting a lot of scenes from the book, I think it worked out for the best and appealed a lot more to audiences. The screenplay was very well written and the dialogue is great and very convincing.

Starring Roy Scheider as Chief Brody, Brody is the Chief of Police on Amity Island where he lives with his wife Ellen (Lorraine Gary) and their two boys, Michael and Sean. Originally from New York, Brody is still getting used to the island when the attacks start happening, just in time for the fourth of July. The acting in this film is really really good, Scheider is absolutely brilliant as the Chief of Police, he fits into the role perfectly and comes across as very convincing. Brody seems to be the only character at first that's convinced a shark is due to the attacks, Mayer Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) isn't so convinced and seems to care more about the money the town will make, then closing the beaches down for safety. It's become apparent that Brody is scared of the water, originally not allowing his son to go out on his first boat and refusing to go swimming in the sea. It's a shame Spielberg never gave us the backstory to that.

As the attacks get more and more frequent Brody highers a marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to come in to identify the shark. Dreyfuss is absolutely wonderful as Hooper, he brings fantastic characterization to his role and at times come across as very amusing, his relationship with Quint, is very rough, however Brody and Hooper seem to have more of an understanding and have great chemistry on screen together. Quint has a very interesting role in this film as a Fishermen who wants the shark all for himself including $10,000. Robert Shaw is great as Quint, rumour has it a lot of his lines were improvised however you will find yourself hating his character. He does however come across as very convincing, you can practically feel the tension oozing from the screen.

The film certainly doesn't take long to get going and gets straight to the point extremely fast with an attack in the opening scene, gripping audiences from the get go. It's beautifully shot and looks even better on Blu-Ray. Bill Butler has clearly done an amazing job as director of photography, the camera work in this movie is excellent, there's a wonderful dolly zoom when an attack has taken place, and the camera is very quickly zoomed in on Brody who is sat on the beach with his wife. Spielberg has also chosen to do a lot of close ups of the main actors, The editing at times is a little bit choppy, but the majority of the film is very smooth. Spielberg has also managed to catch some beautiful shots at night too, that look fantastic on screen. There are a few fantastic moments where the camera has used low angles to capture underwater scenes, allowing the film to build tension, is the shark going to attack? Or are we waiting for a jump scare? There's a wonderful low angle shot where tourists panic on the beach, I love how Spielberg was able to catch such realism. I love the fear in people that Spielberg was able to capture so beautifully on screen.

The production department have done a great job, the film is set in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, they've managed to capture some gorgeous beach scenery. Quint's boat in particular is a work of art, it's very realistic, I love the rustic feel the production department have given it and the wonderful name of "The Orca" it suits the character of Quint perfectly! Quint's home or office as it were is great too, I particularly love how the prop department went to great effort to show shark teeth hanging up and fishing nets strung around the room. It's exactly how I expect a fishermen's house/boat house to look. It shows a lot of realism and authenticity. The production department also went to a lot of effort to show Matt Hooper's fishing rods, oxygen tanks, diving gear. The special effects are great and are very convincing, it's hard to believe that they shark seen on screen is just mechanical, there are some truly terrifying close ups, that would convince you otherwise. I'm blown away with how realistic it looks. It's hard to believe this film was produced in 1975, it looks absolutely stunning on Blu-Ray, no grain and great surround sound.

John Williams has composed one of the most famous film scores in movies in history! The most beautiful thing about a film score is that it should allow you to feel what you are watching on the screen! The music gets faster and harder the closer the shark gets to the victim. It really is one of the most amazing soundtracks you'll ever be subjected to! Beautiful moments shared between a father and his son, the music is mellow beautiful. At the end of the film, they're on this ferocious journey to kill this shark before it takes the life of anymore victims...its intense, it's thrilling, then suddenly....it just mellows. You really do go on a journey with this film and the incredible soundtrack allows you do that.

Blu-Ray Special Features:

Deleted Scenes:

I don't know about you, but I love watching deleted scenes. The director has chosen to take out scenes for a reason, either they don't like them or they didn't work or they drag the film down, it's fascinating to see how the film could have been different. As a member of the audience the deleted scenes worked being left out of the film. They're boring and they would of dragged the film down.

The making of Jaws: 2hr Documentary:

A fascinating documentary with the filmmakers and author Peter Benchley, I love how we're introduced to each of the actors who played each character. Steven Spielberg brings us a wonderful insight into the making of one of his biggest films. Everything from casting the actors, the production design, filming underwater scenes getting real footage of sharks as you will see in certain scenes in the movie. Fascinating documentary!

From the Set:

A nice little eight minute segment on the filming of Jaws! The press follow them round during filming, interviewing Steven Spielberg. Press release.

The Impact and Legacy of Jaws:

A more up to date documentary on the film, explaining a bit more into detail about what happened when the movie was released, the issues they had with the shark during production, showing the movie's popularity around the world, a very interesting documentary.

Jaws: The Restoration:

Showing you how they essentially made the Blu-Ry, a pretty cool thing to watch! Remarkable watching them clean up a film for Blu-Ray. The process is long and a serious amount of attention to detail takes place.

Jaws Archives:

Storyboards, Production Photo's, Marketing Jaws and Jaws Phenomenon.

5/5 stars