Cheap Jaws (25th Anniversary Full-Screen Collector's Edition) (DVD) (Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss) (Steven Spielberg) Price

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Customer Reviews of Jaws (25th Anniversary Full-Screen Collector's Edition)

The Standard Has Been Set
Let me get right to the point. "Jaws" is a classic, a masterpiece, the standard by which all modern horror and action thrillers are measured. Spielberg's 1975 adaptation of Peter Benchley's celebrated novel may well have ignited a new era for the movie industry at that time: the era of the "Summer Blockbuster." Sadly, it's an era that seems more intent upon marketing commercial products and visual effects over substance and innovation, as many of Hollywood's bigwigs (Spielberg included) have sold out to produce brainless, demographically inspired trash like "Con Air," and "Wild Wild West." Remember when going to the movies was fun? Remember when you could expect a healthy blend of crisp and original storytelling, attention to character development, and a plot that didn't insult your intelligence? "Jaws" manifests each of these essential ingredients to a quality movie-going experience, and the result is one of the greatest films of all time.

The residents of Amity Island, Massachusetts have one thing going for their livelihoods: summer tourists and beach goers. So what do you do when a great white shark threatens to bring an untimely end to the summer season, not to mention the lives of several unfortunate bathers? This is the dilemma that's brilliantly played out between the rational-minded sheriff (Roy Scheider) and the politically motivated town mayor (Murray Hamilton). The quarrel is finished when a series of tragic events compel that the shark be killed by any means necessary. Enter the best shark-hunting trio ever assembled. Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw formulate such perfect chemistry that we can't peel our attention away for even a moment. In fact, the movie's final hour may be one of the finest ever filmed in terms of drama, suspense, and sheer horror. All performances are commendable, the dialogue at times is brilliant, and the mechanical shark (Bruce) is as terrifying as any "computer generated" effect from that moronic film "Deep Blue Sea." John William's score ranks among the best ever composed, on a par in terms of ground-breaking significance with the themes from "Star Wars," "Gone With the Wind," and "West Side Story." The movie was followed by three sequels, each increasing exponentially in banality.

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Farewell and Adieu...
...to you fair Spanish ladies; farwell and adieu to...oh whatever!

Great film! Did they "need a bigger boat"? Naaah. Not really. What makes a film like this one truly great? Well, for one thing something that you don't find in many summer blockbusters nowadays: ACTING. Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw successully bring to life a small town, island-bound police chief who's afraid of the water; a scientist and shark expert; and a cracker-munching, chalkboard-scratching, radio-bashing, Spanish Lady-farewell-and-adieuing shark hunter, respectively.

This movie has yet another thing going for it...a rare and underappreciated gem (at least in this day and age): CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Isn't it great?!! We actually get the pleasure of getting to know these guys. And you know what? They're actually kinda likeable! They're also the perfect trio to catch this Great-White-Hannibal-Lecter roaming loose in New England waters. You have Matt Hooper: calm for the most part, highly intelligent as well as resourceful. And there's Capt. Quint: smart-aleck, daring, and battle-scarred; probably not too educated, unless the sea can be called a classroom, and, if so, then imagine that every set of shark jaws hanging on his walls is actually a diploma; he is the man of strength. Enter, Chief Brody: husband, father, cop; but on this voyage, he is more-or-less a blend of the other two.

Another thing this movie has going for it, which, fortunately is not so rare a commodity these days is a great film score! But how many other great main themes consist of only 2 notes? Zero!

I can't wait to see this film on DVD. Unfortunately, our good friends at MCA/Universal don't think that anyone owns VHS players anymore; or if they do, all of them prefer pan-and-scan to Widescreen. This is one of those films where you're just not watching the real movie (the way it was intended to be seen) unless you're watching the whole movie.

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THE ALL-TIME SHOCKER
I`ve seen this over and over... It simply never outstays its welcome. The thrills are still at potent as in 1975. Yup, they did make sequels and Deep Blue Sea; but it can never be like this....Thanks to the genius of Spielberg, Verna Fields and a GOOD screenplay by Garl Gootlieb and author Peter Bencheley this is both drama, horror and suspense on a high level. JAWS is indeed high art. Scheider, Gary, Duvall, Hamilton and Dreyfuss ALL excell in their roles.