In the town/island of Amity, off the coast of Massachusetts, trouble has
arisen.  From the waters.  A shark attack causes concern for police chief
Brody (Scheider), who wants to close the beaches.  The Mayor and the
business community, however, convinced him otherwise, since the small town
gained most of its money from the summer vacationers, and the 4th of July
celebration was right around the corner.  When a little boy is killed by a
shark attack, it causes the whole town to go on a shark hunt, and they find
one.  However, it's not THE shark.  THE shark would be the three-ton great
white that Brody, shark expert Hooper (Dreyfuss), and grizzled seaman Quint
(Robert Shaw) attempt to kill.  They venture out on Quint's boat, the Orca,
and get more than they bargained for from the giant man-eater.

Jaws was the first blockbuster summer movie, and it made a household name of
Steven Spielberg.  And rightfully so - this movie plays on people's fears of
the unknown.  Swimming in the water, we're helpless against what's below.
Sharks are ancient vicious creatures.  They capture our imagination and
frighten us to the bone.  And Spielberg brought that fear out of audiences
in the summer of '75.  People actually stayed out of the waters because of
this movie.  It's well done, well acted, and well shot.  Some of the shark
effects lost some luster in the 25+ years since this film came out, but
overall, it still holds up.
 

Quality: 7.5  Visuals: 8.0  Intensity: 6.5 
OVERALL RATING: 7.4