Rating of
3.5/4
Don't go into the water!! They bite! They bite BIG
mdtinney - wrote on 09/22/09
Simple and rewarding story, based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel, of rogue great white shark that feeds on the swimmers in the water off Amity Island. A masterpiece indeed by the masterful Steven Spielberg.The island's police chief (Roy Scheider), a young shark expert (Richard Dreyfuss) and ultra-crusty fisherman (Robert Shaw) unite to combat the beast.The very film whose success helped to coin the phrase "summer blockbuster", and a film that continues to be a major success to this day. It hasn't even lost its appeal to me after repeated viewings, and that's truly saying something. It's exciting and entertaining and has some very quotable dialog. Performances excellent as well, with Shaw in the role that I will always most identify him with; although Lee Marvin was originally thought of for the role of Quint, I couldn't now imagine anybody other than Robert Shaw playing it. I could never forget scenes like this: (1) the first scene where the young girl is spun around and dragged through the water like a toy (although it's curious how the amount of light in the sky changes between shots), (2) the late night venture by Brody and Hooper into the ocean to look for the shark, (3) the attempt by two misguided fishermen to catch the shark, and (4) Quint's memorable U.S.S. Indianapolis speech. It builds slowly and surely, but it is so worth sticking with. And John Williams' memorable score will always be one of the absolute best things about it.
I would recommend that anyone see it at least once. It's not excessively crude or intense or violent or foul-mouthed, either, so older children will be able to watch it as well.
