Jaws

Jaws is the quintessential blockbuster horror movie, and yet is completely different from what that would seem to entail. It isn't the usual jump out and scare you movie. Although there are a few moments later in the movie, for the most part Jaws is built off suspense. Whether accidental, or on purpose, the result is the same. We know it's a shark, and yet the movie revolves around a fear of the unknown. When it will strike, what it will look like, etc... The boat becomes a cage, leaving the passengers completely at the mercy of a monster. Quint being as much the monster as the shark, becomes a character to be feared. The story is as much about a killer shark as it is the breakdown of the man hunting that shark.

The director clearly focuses on the characters inner struggles as he does on the creature just below the water. Visually the movie is stunning as well. The shots from below the water look fantastic. My favorite being the the first scene as the shark looks up at the girl as she eclipses the moon.The set design and special effects, although corny to our eyes, were state of the art at the time, and shouldn't be taken lightly.

The real standout of this movie, to me at least, is the sound. All the other elements in the movie are noteworthy, but the score and soundscape are perfect. The ambient sound itself adds quite a lot to the movie. The sounds of the ocean. The gentle breezes. The shark cutting through the water. On top of that, Jaws has one of the most brilliant and memorable scores ever written for a movie. It makes this movie an absolute classic. When we think of horror film scores, the Jaws theme is up there with movies like psycho. The heart stopping bum bum will keep people away from beaches and crazy harpoon wielding shark hunters for years to come.