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Movies Worth Seeing
Movies Worth Seeing is a comedy podcast that explores all the best trending films and blockbuster releases. A big movie buff, Michael is an unconventional reviewer of all things movies. This podcast is for anyone sick of watching crappy movies and wants only to watch the best
Movies Worth Seeing
Why Jaws Still Scares Us 50 Years Later
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You can know every famous line and Jaws will still make you tense up. We go back to Spielberg’s 1975 classic and test the big question: does it remain a masterpiece, or has it aged into an overrated blockbuster? What surprised us most is how fresh it feels when you watch it with a filmmaking lens, because the craft is everywhere without the movie ever begging you to notice it.
We break down the techniques that keep the suspense alive: the dolly zoom that every film student studies, the blocking and framing that pack whole character relationships into a single shot, and the bold decision to hide the shark for so long. We talk about how production limitations and a malfunctioning animatronic pushed the movie toward smarter visual storytelling, from underwater POV to surface clues like barrels that signal danger without showing it. We also dig into John Williams’ score and why it changes how your brain reads empty water.
Then we get into what makes Jaws more than a creature feature: a believable cast that feels like real people, a town leadership problem driven by denial and profit, and the pressure-cooker dynamic between Brody, Quint, and Hooper once they head out to sea. We compare those story beats to Jurassic Park, revisit our favourite moments, and close with our ratings and a quick, honest look at the sequels, including the infamous Jaws: The Revenge.
If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe, share the show with a friend who loves film analysis, and leave a review. Do you think Jaws still sets the standard for cinematic tension?
Why did we pick this movie?
SPEAKER_03Hey everyone, and welcome to another episode of Movies Worth Seeing. On today's episode, we are going to be discussing a classic, old school classic, Jaws. That's just the impending fear of doom that you always experience, Martin. Yeah, what a memorable score. We're gonna ask ourselves today, is Jaws still a masterpiece after all these years, or is it some kind of outdated, you know, overrated blockbuster from the late 70s that can't hold a candle to modern cinema? Let's find out. First thing I'd love to ask you guys, how did it feel after watching Jaws for maybe the first time in like 10 years? Oh wow.
SPEAKER_01Uh it's it's so distant that it feels like I I have watched it before, but it was so long ago that it feels like watching it for the first time with
Rewatching Jaws With New Eyes
SPEAKER_01a renewed lens now that I'm in the world of filmmaking, unlike back then when I first watched it, where I was not as appreciative or as aware of filmmaking techniques and storytelling, tropes, all that stuff.
SPEAKER_03Um I feel like that shot, the the famous like Dolly Zoom shot. When I first saw that shot, I knew it was something very unique and special. But obviously, being a kid, I didn't know
Dolly Zoom And Spielberg Blocking
SPEAKER_03what the technical term was, but I was just like, wow, that really made that moment and stood out, even though it's in other films before this. This is the iconic example of like when you want to show a film student, like, all right, this is what a Dolly Zoom shot does, this is why it's effective, this is how it can be used.
SPEAKER_01This very much is the student film's uh film to analyze and pick apart everything that it does, not only on the technical side, but also from storytelling and the the character arc, the world building as well.
SPEAKER_00And if you want to ever be a director, you've got to study and and watch Jaws because the blocking is just out of this world. How he frames everything up, like so many single shot scene.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, the amount of times that we really had to take stock and just sit back and be like, that was a good shot. The amount of times we did that, like I could count on like more than two hands, the moments where we had to go, that is a good shot five minutes later. Whoa, that is a really good shot. Whoa, that is a really good shot. Over and over again.
SPEAKER_03There was this one shot I remember that you said, Martin, where you were like, Fuck, that's a really good shot. But nowadays they wouldn't do that shot because they wouldn't want to show the reflection off the glass, so they would film it a certain way. Do you remember glasses or a window? It was like through the window of the boat, but the reflection of the window.
SPEAKER_01What was in the reflection again?
SPEAKER_03It was like the the waves and the clouds.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the wake from when the um shark was swimming away and pulling at the barrels and that.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's also uh well, yeah, for like two things is that I think nowadays they would want to slap on a polarizer in order to cut through the reflections in windows and so on to see the subject that's standing behind the window. But the way that they deliberately incorporated what was in the reflection as a foreground element is also very indicative of a visual style that Spielberg likes to do, which is to place foreground objects in the framing as well. And it's not so much necessarily that he he cuts to a shot that's like set up for it, it's like he incorporates it into these long takes where it's multiple compositions like combined into one take without cutting away. And the amount of setup that you'd have to do for such a wide coverage where you start off with a wide angle here with the blocking and everyone, it's always an ensemble shot. There's always a lot of talent that you you would have to wrangle in for this one composition, and then they would like maybe walk two, like two steps across to this way, walk into a close-up. Now they're in the foreground. Or the the camera would just like you know go across to some object that's been pre-placed in the foreground to line up perfectly composition-wise, where they leave like a negative space for someone to stand in the background or something. And you could easily do that like nowadays, like if you were to cut away to a separate like setup and shop, but the fact that this is the same, this is all within the one take, like with the movement of the camera into a separate like setup. That's sort of that's the sort of stuff that I think back when you had more time, when they let you have more time to set up for it, it really shows the audience the amount of like prep work that goes into each angle and how deliberate everything is. That's sort of like lost nowadays that they don't do anything. What what did you feel like stood out for you?
SPEAKER_00What really stood out to me was just the the amount of tension because you were talking a lot about his one, like his singular shots where he would block it out and change everything, but you don't see the shark for pretty much a full hour of the film. Like you see, like we've got some snippets on it.
SPEAKER_01And this is like a two-hour
Suspense Built By Hiding The Shark
SPEAKER_01film. Oh, that's uh half the film.
SPEAKER_03So there is like such a so many comparisons from this, I feel can be made to Jurassic Park in that, you know, when you break down how much time the dinosaurs are actually on screen in Jurassic Park, it's only like 10 minutes, right? Same here, where like you could do the same thing with the shark in jaws because the limitations that they had actually bred creativity, the limitations force them to work around it. The limitations of the shark breaking down and shit all the time meant okay, we can't always show the shark, we can show the point of view from the shark underwater, which becomes iconic for the movie. Yeah, and then when the shark reveals itself, then it's a huge deal. Yeah, like there's that one shot where Chief Brody is like, you know, throwing the chum, and you're not expecting it at all, and the shark just pops up for that second, and yeah, there's no music build-up to it. It just suddenly catches you off guard and then it catches him off guard. His reaction is just fucking brilliant. Yes, and the the walking back, and then of course, the you know, classic line, we're gonna need a bigger boat. Which apparently was ad-libbed as trivia pages.
SPEAKER_01Because if if that's ad-libbed, that's like one of the best ad-libs. It's the line, it's the line that you think of when you think yours. But yeah, to your point, like the limitations really bred creativity, and by limiting how much we see of like the big bad, it works to its favor. Uh, not seeing the aftermath of its bloodbath and not seeing the monster itself uh allows the audience to fill in the gap when they're only maybe showing small hints of severed hand. And you have the and you have the guy explaining in graphic details the dismemberment and the guy missing a whole you know stomach or whatever, uh explaining what he's witnessing as he's doing an autopsy off-screen of like the first victim. We fill in the gaps ourselves, and I think what we don't see is all the more horrifying because the brain goes places versus if you just show it on screen, that's very conclusive. 100%.
SPEAKER_03I find that Quint is very similar to Muldoon in Jurassic Park, right? Which one's Muldoon? Muldoon's the guy that always said to them about the raptors, he was like, the raptors are fucking intelligent, man. They underestimate them. Don't underestimate them. Yeah,
Jurassic Park Parallels And Greed
SPEAKER_03Jeff Goldblame. No, he's one of the like not as well. Is he like the caretaker guy? Yeah, he was the guy that he he pulls out the gun, he gets it ready. Smart girl.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, clever girl. Yeah, yeah, that's a good thing. Clever girl, clever girl.
SPEAKER_03I feel like Muldoon and Quint have a lot in common. They both like really respect the danger, the threat of the creature, but they both meet their demise. Maybe it's a lot of people.
SPEAKER_01I think it's that uh maybe it's like a sort of similar story beat tried and test it that Spielberg likes to reuse again. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You always have like the one, you always have like the one opportunistic mayor or like the the person who opened Jurassic Park that's wanting to to reap all the benefits and bury his head in the sand and you know, block his, you know, like to the uh to the like very real danger and pretend everything's fine.
SPEAKER_03So an argument could be made that um Oh, what the hell's his name? Jurassic The Jurassic Park creator, dude. Yeah, I don't remember his name. The old man. How am I forgetting this? Yeah, I don't know his name.
SPEAKER_01I'm really bad with names, but I know who you're talking about. Edinburgh.
SPEAKER_03Oh, this is killing me.
SPEAKER_01Sorry, I gotta forget you have to it kills you if you don't call people by name. But I know who you're talking about.
SPEAKER_00I think it's personally adapting like an old story element where um, like for example, Moby Dick, Captain Ahab, like it's the exact same story. They're out to hunt this whale, and he does meet his demise at the hands of a whale. Like it's just an old sort of story device of the one that's the most, you know, unique, the one that's most driven, the one that's most ambitious, the one that's probably been wronged the most by the creature will suffer at the hands of the creature.
SPEAKER_01Oh, it does he also.
SPEAKER_00Unfortunately, it's the thing, it's about revenge, it's one of the seven deadly sins or whatever. And there's no way that they can possibly win in that respect because that's not the lesson.
SPEAKER_03See, the lady who lost her son, she had the right idea. I'm just gonna pay someone else to take out this thing and put the bounty on the shark, which ends up causing all these other complications. So, anyways, what was the name of the dress? John Hammond. John Hammond and the mayor of Amity Island, very similar, both worried more about the the prophet than seeing the big picture of the lives that are at stake.
SPEAKER_01Only when they are personally affected, like when the mayor's like, my kid was on that beach as well. Or like my the guests that are coming to Jurassic Park now, they're getting attacked. Not that Jurassic Park had been opened yet, but now that I see they've broken out, you know, my spoon staff are getting eaten alive, you know. For once, I agree. We gotta do something about this.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's interesting to compare both movies, even though both by Spielberg. And then both by yeah, of course, both by Spielberg, but like they both use his his template in a lot of ways of like this awe and wonder of like the ocean versus the fear and terror of the shark. Like there's lots of beautiful shots of the ocean, oh yeah, people having fun and at the beach, but you contrast it with the the shock and terror of the shark and the destruction it's capable of.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, now that you mentioned that, like having seen the initial kill and in all its graphic nature, then when we have all this build-up with um uh Martin, the uh police chief or Martin Brody, yeah. Martin Brody Chief Brody Chief, Chief Brody, Chief. Don't you forget it. No, it's the same name as me, so it was the one character whose name I can't forget. But you see, you really see how he's like isolated. He's the only, you know, even the scientists were saying, like, after I leave, you're the only rational person left in the same way uh as Jurassic Park, where everyone was warning um, you know, the rich guy, what are you gonna do now that the the sharks are gonna be run amuck amongst all this Fourth of July celebration? And so you see how all these visual imageries of like happy people is under is underlying this like sense of dread, the impend the uh impending dread that's like the inevitable. These are people that's fish in a barrel now, like pun intended. It's a powder keg, and it's reflected in the score as well. It's sort of this happy, optimistic that's like a bit mixed in with a sense of dread as well. Like something bad is just inevitable, is gonna happen, despite the happiness of it all, despite the 4th of July and the fact that this is this is the town of Amity. This is a summer town, you know. We can't let this go wrong. I'm just gonna pretend, you know, nothing bad is gonna happen, you know? And it's the parallel with how think of all the prophets, think how happy people are with Jurassic Park, despite the real danger of it. I'm gonna just like, you know, bury my head in the sand. I don't know why Spielberg reuses this uh as a template, but it's very effective, I've gotta say. I'm not complaining.
SPEAKER_03About you know, ignorance. Ignorance, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Greed, yeah, greed, yeah.
SPEAKER_03That's a big uh and revenge, I guess, when you think about it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I'm curious, I'm curious to know for you, Luke, what were what was like a surprise for you watching this after not watching it in a very long time?
SPEAKER_00So there's something I think, and I think it's been very deliberate, and I was just thinking about it, where if you actually look at the casting, this was like a what, a $200 million movie or something. It was ridiculous budget. That is wow, in the late 70s. That's it was it was huge. It kept going out of budget,
Casting That Feels Real
SPEAKER_00they called called it flaws, like that was an in-joke on set because of how you know how bad things are going and such. But one thing I think is really interesting is just the casting. That's what's been really surprising to me. There's something real w really worldly about the casting for this movie because if you look at like a lot of the characters and you look at a lot of the sporting characters, they're not like your typical Hollywood types, they're like rough and rugged and they're sun-baked, but they're kind of like, you know, this is it's very much like a middle middle America kind of cast, like all the way. It's still real, but that's the thing that adds to the element. Like, this isn't happening. Relatability some Hollywood land. This is it was just this could be happening in your town. Yeah, it could be happening in your little seaside town.
SPEAKER_03Roy Schneider like Scheider. Is it Scheider? Yeah, is he the protagonist? Is he the protagonist? Like Robert Rab Rab Schneid is the same.
SPEAKER_00No, it's Roy Scheider.
SPEAKER_03Scheiter.
SPEAKER_00I just wanted to point it out so people wouldn't knack mock you.
SPEAKER_03Well, but you're saying Roy Scheider. Fact factor. Okay. The lead. You know what? I'll just call him Chief Brody. The Chief! The Chief. Uh yeah, I I agree with that though. Like none of these guys would be playing something like James Bond or some other leading man role. He's not especially the fisherman Quint. That actor has yeah, he has a sea dog. I'm gonna kill you.
SPEAKER_00Jeans. I like my vodka. Shake it, not stir. Sea dog.
SPEAKER_02I'll get you. And I'll crack your weight open. You've been Clint Eastwood.
SPEAKER_03It's kind of like a little bit off version of Clint Eastwood, I guess. But yeah, he's a very rough guy. He does have like a bit of a squint. He's a very rough, but like believable fisherman. You can see him being like a real gritty, hands-on. He's got the looks, he's got the grit. The fact that he like rips off one of his teeth at one point, like that real messy. This guy seen some shit.
SPEAKER_00And then he's putting his leg all over the other guy's leg, and then there's Tarantino shit all over here.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. You know what's funny? There's a scene in that's a thumbnail right there. That's definitely gonna be the thumbnail. I regret. Uh there's a movie called Loaded Weapon. It's a parody movie of lethal weapon. I've got to show you guys one day because it's yeah, you make mention to it in the past year. It's so fucking good. There's a scene where uh two characters are just comparing injuries, and one of them's like, you know, rips open his chest and there's like a hamster on a wheel in his chest. So is this scene a parody of what we just described? Uh like. I don't know if the direct parody of this scene, but like when I was watching this in George, my first thought was like one of them ripping off their arm and like, you know, grenade blew off my arm clean. You know, the way they're just comparing their wounds. Although, like, what's his name? Hooper! Hooper's wounds were like, uh, I got pinched by an eel, and then Quint is like, uh, I almost got my arm taken off by a shark.
SPEAKER_02Bit it bit a chunk cleaner. I can't go this straight anymore. I can't I can't even use this arm. It's completely robotic. It's not even real. Touch it, touch it.
SPEAKER_03That's what it felt like.
SPEAKER_01You were you your mind went to loaded weapons.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. But um, now I've got another viewpoint, thanks to you guys. Uh, a very gay viewpoint with all the uh I said we were gonna keep this off camera, and now you've opened that kettle of fish.
SPEAKER_01I promised nothing. Uh it's out.
SPEAKER_00I think it's just that out what's out like toxic masculinity. Why star's better? This is worse or what and then it just comes across as extremely aggressively sexual, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01I think that it's that just us, you know, the
Quint, Hooper and chief Brody
SPEAKER_01modern viewers have to read into the film.
SPEAKER_03Well, you you brought it up, Martin. So what does that say about you?
SPEAKER_01Can you not? First of all, you suck. Just a scary movie.
SPEAKER_02Well, you you sucked madly.
SPEAKER_03Whatever, Ray. Whatever, Ray. Um, yeah, that uh Quint. Oh man. It's better be a good point. No, no, no. This is a good point. This is relevant. Quint is just the stereotypical like dad that knows everything, like, shut up and fing and do this, get it done wrong. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn old man that like you can't, you're always wrong, no other way is right except.
SPEAKER_01Don't admit fault and will double down on doing it, even though we can see that he knows he's he's wrong, but he's too far down the road. He has to see it through the mistake through that he.
SPEAKER_03But that's what makes that moment really good when he's like talking to Hooper. Hooper! Hooper and starboard hooper! Stop it, Hooper! He's talking to Hooper, and he's like, Oh, so how do you use this thing? Huh? All right, and he's like helping him get oh it's like he he had a one-tracked mind of I know the best way to kill the shark. And then he reaches this point where he's like, you know what? I'm all out of ideas, I need to take on someone else's viewpoint. Let them fresh blood. Maybe this younger guy, maybe I can put my ego aside and listen to him and see what he wants to try. Yeah, because they try so many different ways to take down the show.
SPEAKER_01So many old ways. Yeah. And who are who were we to question, you know, at from the start, who are we to question his method because we saw how much he's cut how many sharks he's successfully hunted down? Yeah, well, to us, the audience, we're like, well, he he would be the expert. I think the moment the penny drops would be two moments. One is when he says he it's almost like he's trying to convince himself, like despite seeing the evidence that this is nothing like he's dealt with before, there's no way that the shark would be able to, the great white would be able to go down with three barrels attached. And then lo and behold, it does. And the moment where he literally drives his own engine into disrepair, that's when he finally lets go of the ego. And it helps, and it helps also too. I think it's the toxic masculinity of it all. And uh even though this seems to come out of nowhere, like the fact that like when Hooper and Quint meet, they already get off on the wrong foot from the get-go, despite not having met each other at all, which we sort of said may be tied to sort of like frustration with like working class and like the educated young blood versus like the old sea dog who's so stubbornly like stuck in his ways, yeah. Refuses to let the new blood sort of like we've all like I'm sure we've all dealt with like that supposed expert in life.
SPEAKER_03The armchair expert, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that just like never accepts that you might be right, like your way might be the right way, because it would take too much out of his ego to accept that, oh, oh, this kid might know more than me.
SPEAKER_01And then with the whole cabin fever aspect of it, it really drove like the tension of like, you know, three people stranded out at sea. They have they're forced to work together. And you know, as a as a movie with a two hour runtime, you need to have a bit of drama. And so you have to have like, you know, two out of three or so get off on the wrong foot. And so they're at friction with each other. You know, it works for a movie with like a two hour runtime. Well, actually, um movie with like a little Less than half half runtime to go when the that entire like maybe remaining one third to half-ish is solely dedicated to the three people out at sea trying to work together when they're at odds with each other. Yeah, no.
SPEAKER_03At first, it feels like the conflict is the mayor and chief brody. Oh, yeah, true. Yes. And then it becomes Quint, Chief Brody, and Miss Hooper. Hooper! Hooper!
SPEAKER_01It's in two parts. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Because they're all vastly different characters stuck on this boat that have to work together. And you got Chief Brody, who hates water, doesn't know anything about boating, fishing, all that stuff. But as you said when we were watching it, Luke, he may feel compelled to take down the shark because of the guilt from having these people die.
SPEAKER_00Well, I was just saying, like, you can also just notice, and it's in terms of his behavior, like when um Hooper comes to visit, he hasn't even touched his dinner, but he's more than happy to sort of drink. Like it's very much like weighing in on his conscience, it's very much affecting him at a very personal mental level. So you can sort of see why he feels like he needs to, why he feels responsible. Yeah, the clues are all there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01He's also like the outsider as well. He's the New Yorker. Yeah. Come in to this, you know, quaint, you know, uh, island port town. And now, you know, it's like it's fallen onto his shoulder. You know, he owes it to the people to make it right.
SPEAKER_00But he's like one of the most, like he's a very effectual, but he's also one of the most kind of quiet leading men in a film I've ever seen. Like if you watch the third part of the movie, mostly Hooper and Quint dominate that whole thing. And he's driving force. He's just a guy that's there helping, that's sort of stuck in the middle. It's very strange, actually, the power dynamics between all of them because he really, I mean, look, at the end of the day, he doesn't have much authority at sea, but he really is supposed to be the authority.
SPEAKER_03That is funny because he's like, he's chief of police, but on that boat, it don't mean they're all equals. They're all I mean as slight as Quince, Quince the authority. Yeah. Because he even says something where he's like, I'll tell now, Bolt, I'm the captain.
SPEAKER_02I'm the captain of this ship. Yeah, he may be the chief of the on the land, but I'm the captain on the ship. Some something along those lines.
SPEAKER_01I think this dynamic still works impersonation. Yeah. I think the fact that this power dynamic is so dynamic doesn't it's not necessarily a flaw of the movie. It's interesting, interesting. It's just interesting.
SPEAKER_03A huge source of conflict for that third part and makes it so interesting when they do take it down. The other surprising thing watching this back after not watching it for a long time is the kill count is pretty low, but every kill is
Low Kill Count High Impact
SPEAKER_03impactful, every kill means something.
SPEAKER_01And the fact that each of the kills are so graphic, including, I believe, two of them are children as well. Oh well, I think I think so.
SPEAKER_03First, we got the the nude skinny dipping girl that is the catalyst for everything, but yeah, a woman. So that that shocks you. That's pretty bold. Then you're like, I don't know how you guys feel, but when I was watching her for the first time, I thought, oh, the kids won't die. Like the the shark's not gonna eat their kid, that's pretty fed up. But then when they when the child dies, you're like, whoa, now it's getting real. And it's personal, and it's personal, and it's because it's a kid, the mother is taking action, everything leads towards something, every death causes a huge impact and moves the story forward. Whereas in slasher films, you just feel like someone dies and it's like, all right, move on. Next one. Even that guy that had the small boat, when he gets killed, the trauma, the shock for Chief Brody's son, is what drives Chief Brody to be like, nah, we're getting quint. We can't just keep doing what we're doing. We need to go out and kill the fing thing.
SPEAKER_01To the point where the mayor, who's been the stonewalling roadblock to them taking affirmative action, even now he relents. Yeah, it's gotten that far on the 4th of July. The powder keg has finally blown. Now he's doing, okay, I'm gonna green light this $10,000 contract or whatever it was to just hunt down this thing, kill it once and for all. Enough is enough. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Favorite moments, guys. Uh to me, it's like it's gotta be the iconic smile, you son of a like, how can you not? I think that's even better than that. We're gonna need a bigger boat. Like, I just feel like that's the most okay.
SPEAKER_01Which by the way,
Favorite Scenes And Big Payoffs
SPEAKER_01me and Michael both thought he said fire, you son of a instead of but we had the subtitles on, and it turns out he said smile, you son of a gives it more of that cheeky kind of wink.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. He's shooting, he's taking a why is that your favorite moment? I just think it's so fing badass.
SPEAKER_03Like it is really satisfying to see like the the boat is completely gone. There's like uh it's there's only so much left for him to even rest the gun on, tensions on, the sharks coming towards him. It's like if he doesn't make this, they're completely f there's no way they'll solve it. Just like the last resort.
SPEAKER_01This is like the last round in the chamber.
SPEAKER_00And I think as well, it's just like what do you say to something that can't talk or speak English? Like, it's a similar thing with Mac in the thing. It's like, yeah, f you two. Like he said basically the same thing, but like it was obviously, I don't know. I just personally just thought that that proper showdown was so good. Like, even though Mythbusters just disproved it, and like that wouldn't actually happen. Doesn't matter, it's so fing cool. It's such a strong moment. They keep missing, they keep missing.
SPEAKER_01Smile, you son of a it isn't even here to finish the f emotional catharsis, the release of it all, every every suffering, you know, every trauma that this shark has been solely responsible for. The big bat has been like vanquished.
SPEAKER_03There is a conf uh a catharsism in as well the shot of the shark being blown away and he's dropping to the bottom of the ocean, the blood everywhere, and that orchestral theme is like very relaxing and soothing of like it's over. You know, it just really nails the satisfaction I feel when that moment happens that you're like bam, like you feel super satisfied, especially because Brody did it, because he was the one that was the most anxious around water, that was freaking out about going on the boat, doesn't like the water. Even when it came to saving people, when the first uh shark the second shark attack happened, he was very careful to not go far in the water because he was so afraid of it. So it kind of feels like he conquered the shark and his fear of the water at the same time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think uh there's an element of like validation to it, not only from the talents folk, but also he's conquering himself as well. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Which is always the best kind of character arc I feel in movies.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, surmounting oneself.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00What was your favorite bit?
SPEAKER_03Damn, man. I'm still trying to think as well. Yeah. I think honestly, man, I think my favorite moment is when the shark just, you know, when Brody is just talking sh being like, oh, you guys come and do this. Boom, the shark just popping up like no big deal, no music cues, no build-up or anything. At that point, every appearance had been built up, slowly built up, and they cleverly shattered your expectations by just having him pop out like it was no big deal. But Roy, the actor, Roy just sells it so well like he's seen a fing ghost, and the way he jumps back, just when I think of Jaws, like that is the moment that I think of where it's not just so much what the creature can do, but the fear that it instills in the people.
SPEAKER_01No, I can see and also how how little you see of it up until that point, which as we have discussed a lot, you know, by the fact that we don't see it so much, also and what's so clever is also the fact that um they would attach like a chain or a rope to it, and then it's us seeing the air barrels or like the the wood platforms like go across the water. You know that it's coming for you, it's coming for you beneath the surface, and your only clue to that is merely by the fact that it's attached to something that we can see on the surface, and never has like floating objects like getting closer and closer to you been scarier because of you know what's underneath, despite not being able to see it.
SPEAKER_03It's like with Jurassic Park with the the moving branches, hearing the branches snap, seeing the trees moving. You automatically think of the T-Rex approaching, and you're like, oh sh. It's a similar thing, the tension building, the paranoia, storms, the water. It's very clever how like he sets it all up, how both have so many similarities, but they're so such different movies.
SPEAKER_00He's like got his own style, there's no doubt about that. No one could ever make a movie like him.
SPEAKER_01Well, he does tension, man, so it's so effective. And it's like, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I still can't think of a favorite moment, like other than maybe just the just the uh the delight of seeing of all those moments where we had to take a step back to be like, oh wow, that was a really good shot. Oh that was a really good shot. Oh, that was a really good shot. Like coming in, having not watched it for you know over a decade, the only standout shot I remember is like the Dolly zoom. Yeah. And so it was all the more delightful to see very like old school filmmaking techniques and arguably a very Spielberg signature of you know having like foreground movements. So I would say my favorite moments are when I can see the effort translated onto screen.
SPEAKER_03I would love to get into the final ratings of what you guys would rate Jaws. Is it still a masterpiece? And if so, what would you rate it?
SPEAKER_00Five out of five. Bam! Um and is it still a masterpiece? It's still a masterpiece,
Final Ratings ,Legacy And Practical Effects
SPEAKER_00100%. It's it was the first blockbuster ever. Like it really completely, yeah. They they coined the term because of this movie. It completely redefined, I guess, how movies would be one would be released in general, because this was released in the summer, which was typically the graveyard season for films for some reason. Everyone would go out in winter instead. So it yeah, it basically started the summer blockbuster, it was the highest-setting film of all time, I think, at the time. Interesting. And uh yeah, like it's you can't fault that. It's everything is so expertly crafted, everything from the soundtrack to the blocking to the framing to the cinematography. You know, it's just it's a pretty impeccable film. Yeah, you know, despite all of the challenges that Spielberg would have had during the time, like you it really holds up in history. The only thing I would like fault it on is like, well, we're a bit more educated about sharks now. And I think sharks are fing awesome. And like shark, a shark couldn't do half the sh that was in this movie. Yeah, and it did lead, like I think we were talking about it, I think, did lead the negative deception. Yeah, of sharks.
SPEAKER_03Do you do you think movies like Sharknado have also helped?
SPEAKER_01Would Sharknado exist without Sharknado exist without Jaws?
SPEAKER_00Actually, that's a really good question.
SPEAKER_01That's an amazing question.
SPEAKER_00Uh probably not have like Crocnado or something like that instead. I think there is a Crocnado. I wouldn't be surprised if there was.
SPEAKER_03Anyway.
SPEAKER_01How about you, Martin? Final ratings and same same reasonings and same conclusion, five out of five, and yes, it is still a masterpiece. Yes. Deserves, you know, studying, analyzing, and a testament to uh the equipment that they would have had back then compared to like how much more advanced our riggings are nowadays. You know, nowadays, if we see underwater footage, we can just think easily, you know, oh, GoPro footage, you know, anyone, anyway.
SPEAKER_03I wonder how big the cameras were back then and the shielding to get them underwater versus now, where we have a camera this small that can go underwater and the quality looks okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. I think uh, and to add on to uh Luke's point, I think given that we know this is a product of its era and its technical limitations, again, like we were discussing how limitation reads creativity. The fact that this was shot for real, like you're really out in the ocean, the fact that everything's a practical effect, the tilting of the boat, you see like the let the uh levels of the water, you know, going like this.
SPEAKER_03The shark is completely physical.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, everything that everything's physical, it makes me all the more appreciative that uh the fact that they're doing it for real, and how if this was to be made nowadays, they would take a safe, easy route of just doing it CGI, like in Aquaman, you know.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm sure there's a shark movie in recent years where the shark's just like free-flow and probably jumping out of the water and winking at the camera and then jumping back down into the water and it doesn't do s there's no tension, there's no suspense.
SPEAKER_01When you know, like like obviously to the even to the untrained eye, it's obviously an animatronic, you know, but this this physical presence alone is enough to sell the tension, which you know well of I mean, I have to you know give credit to John Williams' score that which helps drive the tension, but nonetheless, yeah, physical does something different to the brain instead of seeing like a computer image that you can just chalk it up to the ease of which it's accomplished. Yeah. So for you, Michael, is what score is it? And for you, is it a masterpiece and why?
SPEAKER_03I would say Jaws is still a masterpiece, it has amazing flow, fantastic special effects, practical effects. It's a creature feature where you fear the creature, and you genuinely want to see this creature get taken out. But I love the characters, I love Brody, Chief Brody, uh Quint, and Hooper provide such a fun dynamic on the boat, and yeah, I would I'm actually curious to see. I know the Jaws sequels are really s, but it would be fun to watch like Jaws of Revenge to see how bad it is. I want to see how famously bad it is. I know it's one of those movies that's so bad it's good, so it'd be hilarious to watch that.
Sequels Trivia And What’s Next
SPEAKER_01Um what were you saying about the seek the Jaws 2? Is it good or bad?
SPEAKER_00Jaws 2 is just it's kind of okay. Yeah, and Steven Spielberg was supposed to direct uh Jaws 2, and he pitched the idea that um Brody was actually not Brody, sorry, Quint was saying in the scene. It was prequel essentially like a flashback where they get taken out one by one. Yeah, one by one. Um but yeah, the studio didn't like that, and so they just went for a direct sequel, you know, Roy Scheiders in it as well.
SPEAKER_03Same old thing.
SPEAKER_02I can totally see Jaws 2 being like, oh no, it's happening again.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, that's basically it. It's okay, like it's alright, it's brilliant, but it's not like oh, a worst sequel ever, it's just not as good as the first one. And no Steven Spielberg, you know, so it's like they had probably a much smaller budget. But an interesting fact about that one is uh they're we're filming out like on the water, and uh they have an Italian crew, and uh a shark did decide to actually show up to the set, and the cast are freaking out of their minds, and the crew are thinking they're doing a wonderful job, and kind of going, Kiko, guys, great work, but they're all screaming because they thought they were gonna die. Oh Jesus, yeah, which is funny also probably because of the first movie Jaws. Everyone had seen it, so there you go. But yeah, all the other sequels they suck. Like I'll give them I'll give them to them, like creative, like the third one is at an aquarium, you know, one of those weird underwater aquariums, and then the fourth one is just goes to the Bahamas, you're just like what?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Jaws 4 is like the the shark is like you actually audibly hear it roaring and Michael Cain's in it, which is really random. Oh, yeah. He was saying there's a funny story where people tell him, like, oh Jaws is like the revenge is terrible movie, why'd you do that? And he's like, I don't know how good the movie is, but I know that I bought like this gigantic million dollar house with it, so that's all I family and yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know how good it is, but I know the house it it bought. Yeah, so I'm like, okay, that's fair enough, man.
SPEAKER_01Regardless though, like we were discussing as well that despite how okay the second Jaws may have been, the fact still stands that this is a movie that did not need a sequel. Yeah, the big rat has been vanquished, you know? Yeah, more do you need telling? Yeah, the character arcs have been tied up.
SPEAKER_03Anyway, if you enjoyed this review, please like, share, and subscribe for more videos like this. Until next time, let's let's check out Jaws the Revenge, hey?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, sounds good.
SPEAKER_03Is this a bad one? Yeah, let's see what happens when Jaws' the the son of Jaws wants revenge for his father being murdered. Um which is probably what happens.
SPEAKER_01It'll be very frustrating, but at least the silver lining is it'll make me appreciate, you know, the original Jaws all the more. But I guess let us know if you want us to react to that. Cool. Yeah, anyways, thanks guys. Awesome. See you guys. See ya.