Jaws (1975) *Gillian Pick*

Everyone has been hounding me to use my vacation time to catch up on all my blogs. Ok fine you jerks! Here is my next review.

One of the main reasons I started doing this list, besides wanting to occupy the TV so my former roommate couldn't watch anything, was to watch movies that I have always heard of, but never seen. Jaws was one of those movies. I don't know why I have never watched it until now, but I am glad I have finally seen it.

Jaws is about a shark with big jaws, and with his big jaws he terrorizes a town of people that are scared of his jaws. Jaws takes place on fictional Amity Island. At the beginning of the summer season, a shark attack threatens to destroy the town by keeping away "summer dollars." The town council wants to keep the attack a secret, despite pleadings from the local sheriff. When more attacks send the town in an uproar the sheriff, an oceanographer, and a shark hunter set out to destroy the blood-thirsty beast.

The most recognizable thing about this movie (even for those who haven't seen it) is the soundtrack. The main "shark" theme is an alternating pattern of E and F, and when Spielberg heard it for the first time he though Williams was joking. Later, however, he said that the movie would have only been half as successful without Williams' music. Here is the shark theme in all it's glory:



It seems to me that every scary movie was only scary for someone because they either watched it in a loud, dark theater, or because they were very young when they saw it. I must say that even though I saw this movie as a 24 year old, it scared me. I wasn't biting my nails by any means, but it was terrifying at some points.

Let me just go off on a tangent here, and say that it also seems that every scary movie ever made has to have a million sequels until the plot has become so bastardized that it is unrecognizable. While I have not seen the other Jaws movies, it has enough sequels that one could think that:



I really enjoyed this movie, and was surprised how good it was. I have watched so much crap I would have settled for a movie that was simply watchable, but Jaws pulled past the "watchable" stage and into full fledged "classic."

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.4
Would I own it? I could see it happening.
Would I recommend it? Do sharks have jaws?