Jaws1975

90/100 Jaws is the blueprint for the modern blockbuster, and where I feel Spielberg really gets into his element, managing to create a terrific thriller and a fantastic monster movie. Unlike the last movie, this one is much more my speed in premise, perhaps because it's so much more simple. The central plot of people hunting a maneater shark is great in both concept and execution. The scenes of the shark attacking people are incredibly suspenseful without feeling exaggerated. The shark puppet itself was broken, malfunctioning during many scenes, but this merely forced the filmmakers to adapt, hiding the shark or hinting at it through the effect it has on its victims, as well as that iconic theme by John Williams. Ironically enough, this actually makes the shark more menacing through exploitation of trepidation until it's finally revealed in a pretty good scene about halfway through. The only complaint I have about the film is that the acting is on and off. To its credit, Roy Scheider does pretty good as the lead. I also liked Richard Dreyfuss' character, though that may just be because I tend to have a soft spot for the nerds in these kinds of movies. However, you can definitely see the mixed acting with some of the side characters. The dialogue comes on very fast and soft, so you're left straining to hear it, which is not a good viewing experience. There's also some explicit overacting during some of the shark's attacks. Overall, however, I wasn't expecting the film to be this good, and it was definitely a pleasant surprise just how much I liked it. It manages to both have suspense and a lot of awesome moments, like the defeat of the shark, which I personally found to be one of the best effects in the film. It's not entirely perfect, but no film ever is, and this definitely comes close enough to be very enjoyable.