Review: Jaws

Quite obviously I am behind the times having only seen Jaws for the first time earlier this week.  I will admit right now to having had very little interest in watching this film although it is a classic that most people have seen at some point or other, however I have been pleasantly surprised.

As a first time viewer of Jaws I decided to go into it with an open mind, as it is a film that I have not been inclined to seek out a watch.  I found the film to be a lot more enjoyable than I had previously thought that I would.

The film is based upon a novel by Peter Benchley of the same name.

Jaws is a thriller set on Amity Island where two separate shark attacks sends the people of the island into a frenzy as every amateur out there wants to get the bounty attached to the shark.  

Mostly unknown actors were cast so as to not take away from the this could happen to anybody feel that Steven Spielberg wanted the film to have.  I found that the acting was believable and of a good standard, though the only character I felt was at all likeable was Police Chief Martin Brody played by Roy Scheider.

The shark was rather obviously anamatronic looking but it is good for the time when you realise that the movie was released in 1975.

When I first noticed that John Williams had scored the film I instantly knew that the soundtrack would be fantastic and it was.  It created suspense and thrill in the moments when the shark was about to attack.

As someone who is used to a lot of gore and modern cinema I found that Jaws was very tame, I was expecting more, that though was probably from the hype I have heard over this film over the years.

Overall I would give this film a 3/5 though I still found the film enjoyable and would probably watch again if it was on TV.