Jaws is a film where showing more of the monster would have ruined the suspense of the movie. Since you can't see the great white shark for most of the time, the only indication of it's presence is the foreboding John Williams score and POV camera shots, which leaves a sense of horror of knowing that the shark is near by and ready to strike at any moment. The focus of the film is Police Chief Martin Brody trying to persuade the mayor to close the beach on the coast of Amity island before more shark attack can happen. Roy Schieder portrays Chief Brody as both a loving, caring father and husband but he also properly conveys his panic and frustration with the shark attacks and the mayor’s unwillingness to close the beach, which gives him a sense of relatability for the audience since they would feel the same in the situation he’s in.
On the hunt for the great white, Brody is joined by Marine Biologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and professional seafarer Quint (Robert Shaw) who have a very interesting dynamic since Quint sees Hooper as a inexperienced college kid who doesn’t know anything about hunting sharks whilst Hooper has studied sharks through his college studies, which gives them a rivalry that’s creates tension even between our main characters.
With iconic scenes like the first kill, to the USS Indianapolis monologue deliver brilliantly by Robert Shaw with enough intensity and fear within his performance to sell the believability of the scene, the first appearance of the shark in full followed by the famous quote “you’re gonna need a bigger boat” and Hooper correcting a sailor on what shark they’ve caught. This film will be remembered as one of the most terrifying movies of all time which made a whole generation afraid to go into the sea.
I'm still afraid to go in the sea because of this film!! It's amazing how evocative a film's music score can be - such a classic and ever lasting.