This is a film that’ll make you question what lies beneath, and has shocked many. After watching this film, you may never want go in near water again. It start’s off when a woman is killed while taking a quick dip in the quiet ocean near a small quiet town of Amity (and no not AmityVille, it’s not about the haunted house). New Police Chief Martin Brodey (Roy Sheider), wants the arrogant mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), to close the beach so no more people are mysteriously killed. However, the Mayor overrules the action of closing the beach because funding is far too important, and this is the time of year that most tourists come to Amity. As concerns heighten regarding whether Amity is the same place it used to be and the overall safety, tensions are very high. Following suite shortly after the initial murder, a kid gets killed by the name of Alex Kitner in the same fashion as the woman in the beginning. Now, Brody realizes that he needs some help to catch this man eating shark–referred to as Bruce behind the scenes. So, he gets an ichthyologist named Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss ), and a crazy boat captain Quint (Robert Shaw) to tag along with him. In a riveting battle of man VS. beast, it’s time to set off and fight this fish.
This is the definitive summer blockbuster, as it’s a film that scares you. Everyone has swam at some point or has been in the ocean before, and this movie can instill the thought of “what could be under me?” Interestingly enough, this film almost didn’t work out due to the special effects team having issues getting the shark to work. Three animatronic sharks made for the film, one close shots, one for underwater shots, and one for eating. Now, I know what you’re thinking if you’ve seen the movie. How does that make sense there was only a select few shots of the shark? Well, that isn’t all true. Steven Speilberg, the mastermind behind this incredible film, originally had the intention of making this an R-rated horror film/slasher in which the movie would be more graphic. But once they finally got the first shark out on the water during the first day of shooting, it sank to the bottom of the ocean where it still remains. When the production crew tried getting the third shark to work, that one would stop after 40 minutes. So, the crew would have to pull it out instantly or another shark would be gone. So, some of the scenes where the fshark is fully shown on screen were only a handful of many. And despite what may be believed, the crew wasn’t far out in the ocean because with the way the film is shot, Speilbergs back is facing land. Moreover, Speilberg figured that since the shark had so many problems, a large draw-factor to the movie would be that the audience can’t see the shark. His methods of putting the movie together despite the many issues on set ultimately worked perfectly, as this film is one in a million. There was some outstanding acting on all sides, and the tireless directing came out to be perfect–the standard of how you should direct a horror film. I give this film 10 gold bars for acting, 10 for directing, and only 4 bronze bars for special effects due to the many difficulties faced on set. With that being said, I will see you the next time you come back to the movies!