Jaws

For many of us, it is hard to imagine a summer without the release of a big blockbuster but that was the case before 1975. Then Steven Spielberg, already a growing name in the industry, changed all that with Jaws and he would also go on to change how many look at the sea on their holidays from a way to cool-off on a hot summers day to a deep, dark place of unseen danger. This would also become one of most fascinating films to learn about with how it was made, the trials and tribulations, and how Spielberg vowed never to film on the open sea ever again, but thankfully he did persevere to give us this!

The story follows a New York family who have moved upstate to Amity Island where the father, Brody, is adapting to his new station as a police officer where he seems to no longer have to worry about any crime. Everything is calm and tranquil ahead of the summer holiday season which brings big business to the local community but all of this is threatened when a girl is washed-up dead on the beach following an expected shark attack. The mayor wants everything to continue as normal but Brody quickly becomes concerned it could happen again. 

Nearly 50 years on from its release, Jaws has lost none of its bite and remains a classic to this day. There is still a clear sign of age with this feeling very much like a film of the 1970s but that only adds to the charm with John Williams providing an iconic score, a great cast with Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, and Spielberg's fantastic ability at storytelling. Combined with some great practical effects, which haven't aged badly at all and were worth the trouble they caused in production, I really had a great time revisiting this and it remains one of the best thrillers. 

It's so very difficult to fault Jaws and if I had to find anything, it was just be that the deleted scenes hinted at a film that wouldn't quite be as good as what we have here. Thankfully, Spielberg and his crew made the right calls and produced a finely polished and expertly paced thrilling adventure which deserves all the success that came its way, and is easily a great film to recommend. Just don't watch it before any summer holidays in the sea mind you...