Jaws
(1975)
Rated: PG
Runtime: 2 Hours and 5 Minutes
Reviewer: Dale
Grade: A+When a horror movie scares you the first time you see it, then it is good. Much the same way as a comedy that makes you laugh. The job of a comedy is to elicit laughter. The job of a horror movie is to scares the bejeebers out of you.
But when a horror movie gets you to move to the edge of your seat even though you have seen it more than a dozen times, well, that is something entirely different.
"The Exorcist" illicits a great deal of fear from me. I watched it once and found that to be sufficient. The mere sound of Mercedes McCambridge talking for the possessed girl in that movie is enough to give me the heebie-jeebies. The mere sight of Linda Blair in that ghastly makeup can send a shiver down my spine. But have I ever felt the need to watch it again?
No. Why? It's too much of an ordeal. Watching "The Exorcist" is like a horrible experience that I don't feel the need to go through again, not because it was bad but because it did its job so well that I cannot bear it again. It affected me that deeply. For sheer horror, you need look no further than that movie.
But if you want a movie that will scare you, will shake you up, will put you on the edge of your seat and then cause you to want that same experience over and over again, well, then "Jaws" would be my recommendation. "The Exorcist" might be scarier, but "Jaws" is definitely the better movie.
By now, everyone knows or thinks they know the plot to this film. If you know it, then good for you. If not, rent this movie immediately. It warrants your immediate attention. Either way, going into the semantics of the plot is unnecessary. A shark is attacking, men go to kill it. That is all you need know. That is why I love this movie. For all of their bickering and all their methods, this is basically a movie about several men who cannot stand each other going on a fishing trip and growing closer to one another. It is about one of them becoming obsessed, knowing that this is the only worthy adversary he has ever faced. It is about these men facing their fears.... and finding that their fears are far worse than they could imagine. It is a harrowing, realistic and yet oddly fun experience. It is like a masterful roller coaster ride that you can't wait to get back in line for.
Sure, I could describe the characters. I could tell you about the little nuances that Richard Dreyfuss brings to the character of Hooper, illustrating why he is one of our best and most overlooked actors. I could tell you about Robert Shaw and his great turn as the obsessive, effective, foul-mouthed sailor whose life has been spent killing sharks with the greatest of expertise. I could even tell you about Roy Scheider's effective turn as the most normal man in this group.
I could tell you about the brilliance of Spielberg's not revealing the shark to us, just to make us sweat. Or about John Williams' haunting and immensely memorable score. I could tell you about the editing and the pacing and how well they work. I could tell you about the writing, especially in the USS Indianapolis scene, and how it does the job that the best dialogue does: it makes the characters real to us and makes us care about them.
I could tell you that this is my third favorite movie of all time, and few movies bring me the sheer amount of joy that this one does. I could tell you that I still squirm during the final scenes of this movie, no matter how many times I may have seen it.
Oh, I could tell you about all these things. But I won't. You'd really rather see the movie for yourself and see how right I really am, wouldn't you?
I knew you would.