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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Why Selfishness is Regressive

Prompted by Adam as part of the VIP Janthopoyism Bible package.

Ignoring that you've never seen one before, please picture an atom the best you can. The infinities of its powers are unknown as it tightly locks its secrets in an impossibly small world of inaccessibility. However, we can agree without much debate that it's the collection of like-atoms that bring about their influence. With enough grouped particles, all four fundamental states arrive into being (solid, liquid, gas, and plasma). As a result, the entirety of the Universe moves forward via this collaborative effort.

Atoms are the raw substance you are made of, from the bits of skin you shed every day to the electrical signals that spark between your neurological synapses, triggering thoughts, identifying yourself with yourself. Your brain is nothing but a conglomerate of these almost indistinguishable specks, and yet together, they create the most powerful organ known to humans. Still, what is a brain without the rest of the body? The atoms that construct the digestive tract to nourish your inner mechanics. The atoms that construct the lungs to draw oxygen into your cells. The atoms that construct the heart to pump blood, distributing that oxygen to keep the brain operational. And the atoms that construct the limbs which the mind can puppeteer to perform crucial tasks. Only in unity can these separate pieces of the anatomy manage a comfortably fulfilling life, relying on one another to do their job and forming the complete Homo sapien animal we recognise today.

For some reason, this model of systems built upon systems ends here for so many. The mind has no problem grasping the complexities of combined particles and tissues accomplishing singular units, yet when it reaches its individual perception, it snags on a ceiling manufactured by its ego. From this point upward, they're on their own. They're responsible for their life without much regard for those who do not bring benefit. It’s a line of thinking as miserable as it is ludicrous. If any organ adopted this approach, the body would soon perish. When a cell decides to behave independently, the consequences are cancerous.

Our society depends on humans satisfying specific roles, but we must look beyond the apparent chain of capitalist trade to find genuine value. For certain people to revel in excessive affluence while others suffer in poverty is akin to a robust set of kidneys next to a bad case of appendicitis. It only takes a single component to fail for the creature to fall. Instead, we must drop our outdated dog-eats-dog mentality and level the playing field so that every person has equal opportunity. With the right potential, the most skilled doctors, scientists, and artists will not entirely be found within the upper class. That is statistically implausible. For the better of the human race, we must view our species as a unit, no longer selfishly hoarding assets in fear but allocating favourable circumstances fairly, as this will ultimately enhance the collective and evolve us forward.

Once we manage this feat, we will conquer our egos, and our progression of thought will be infinite. First, the unification of the humans, then the humans with the Earth, then the Earth with our solar system, then our solar system with the galaxy, until we eventually identify ourselves for what we truly are: mere minute instruments, like atoms, functioning within the greatest superorganism of all. The assemblage of absolutely everything. The entire Universe as One Supreme Being.


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