Why Jaws Is the Best Film Ever Made

In our modern age of cinematic experience, the art of genuinely scary horror is largely lost. Formulated jump scares and unbelievable boogymen dominate the plots as an excess of blood spurts across the screen while endings are left just cryptic enough to set up a sequel. It's perhaps not surprising, then, that a quick "Best Horror of All Time" scan generally pushes us decades backwards, for example, 1973's The Exorcist, 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and, of course, 1975's Jaws.

Considered Steven Spielberg's first masterpiece, what's fascinating about this work is how everyone knew exactly what the story was going to be before even sitting down with their popcorn. Despite the film's expertise in building suspense by hiding the monster for as long as possible, the movie poster had already openly revealed what was in store. How such a blatant giveaway managed to boost sales rather than spoil the climax is obvious: sharks are frightening. This was not some ghost in the closet or a demon in the mirror. This was a legitimate creature that existed out there, a threat that filled all murky waters with fear while an occasional real-life news item confirmed a surfer was indeed bitten in half by one of these nightmares of the sea. Terrifying! It is a nervousness that remains vibrating very loudly through our society in a very tangible sense, and this film played a significant role in aggravating our shared uneasiness.

But that is not to say that Jaws relies on cheap shots to entertain, proven during the early second half. The dynamic between Quint (Robert Shaw) and Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) deserves particular mention as a juxtaposition of traditional practice vs scholarly knowledge, a tense conflict of personalities that softens into an exchange of scar stories. It's one of the all-time most memorable dialogues of cinematic history. Not to be outdone, Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) shines brightly too, his performance immortalised by the flawlessly adlibbed line “You're gonna need a bigger boat", now firmly cemented in pop culture forever. And although the shark's animatronics have become somewhat of a laughing point in latter years, the shock factor has never waned, and we must respect Spielberg's decision to avoid CGI. Our fast-moving computer-generated capabilities have left the 70s in the dust, and any reliance on that medium may have destroyed the picture by today's standards.

However, Jaws does carry one gaping flaw: its factual inaccuracies. The portrayal of sharks as fierce, bloodthirsty animals hellbent on consuming human flesh is far removed from reality. With less than five fatal attacks a year, it's worth noting that shark populations have decreased by 71% since 1970 due to overfishing and us eating them for shark fin soup. The backlash from conservation groups was so loud and convincing that they motivated both Spielberg and Jaws author Peter Benchley to later go on record in attempts to undo the trouble they had provoked. But it was too late, and Jaws is noted as a catalyst for a surge in shark-related phobias, even causing cinematic neurosis in a 17-year-old viewer who experienced convulsions while screaming, "Sharks! Sharks!".

Be that as it may, one cannot help but appreciate these outcomes as fuel to Jaws' timeless folklore. Such reputations do not follow an ordinary film. And as the genre has developed, Jaws still holds its own against any horror heavyweight owed to its tried-and-tested weapon of fast-paced entertainment delivered at its highest quality. But how could I dare call Jaws the best movie ever made? Simple. Because this is my blog.


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