Jaws (1975)

I felt a genuine pang of sadness when I typed "Jaws" into my search bar today—instead of what I wanted, I just got hit with random stuff about metal bands and random clips. It’s honestly pretty depressing that there isn't even a dedicated thread for Jaws on this forum! To me, this is easily one of the greatest films ever made—forget those other movies people try to push as classics like Jaws-inspired rip-offs. This was actually Steven Spielberg's second feature film, and the characters are nothing short of legendary—especially Quint. While the franchise eventually spawned three sequels, the quality varies wildly: the second one is actually quite good, the third one is teetering on the edge of being total garbage (it would be complete trash if it weren't for all the gore), and the fourth one? That was straight-up radioactive waste. Honestly, they should have just called it quits after the second movie.

This legendary flick is the exact reason I’m terrified of the deep ocean 🙂 😁
The soundtrack alone? Absolute chills—it’s enough to make your blood run cold!
I like it a lot!

It’s like, you’re down there having a great dive, looking out into the abyss and seeing nothing... then you look again, and suddenly there's this silhouette just lurking 😲

Daniel Brooks78 said:It’s an absolute classic—this is the exact movie that gave me a lifelong fear of the deep ocean🙂 😁
That soundtrack? It’s enough to make your blood run cold!
I like it a lot!

Picture this: you’re out there diving, everything seems totally calm, you glance down into the abyss and see nothing... then you look again, and suddenly, there's this silhouette lurking in the dark 😲

I first saw it when I was only five years old, and honestly, even ten years later, the ocean still creeps me out. By the way, I actually think the movie is much better than the book—the novel felt pretty slow and didn't really hit those horror notes for me.

Nathan Myers28 said:I first saw this when I was five and honestly, deep water still creeps me out—and that was ten years ago. Btw, I actually think the movie hits harder than the book. The book is pretty dry and doesn't really lean into the horror vibes like it should.

In the book, you can't even see the teeth!😁

So, I'm starting this thread to see what the modern forum cinephiles have to say about this one. From what I can gather, the internet seems to be showering it with nothing but praise.
I actually watched this movie when I was just a kid, and honestly, that terrifying dread of sharks hasn't left me—to this day, if I see anything that even remotely reminds me of a shark, I get the chills.

The movie’s been available in 4K since early June... so if you're looking for a serious dose of terror in 4K HDR—it's basically like having your own private AMC theater right at home

I remember watching the sequel in a movie theater back when I was just a kid, but honestly, I didn't even catch the first one until way later on TV. The second part definitely keeps the tension up, but man, that original? That's an absolute classic. And yeah, I'm with you—Quint is such a standout character. I’ve always had a soft spot for that old-school breed of actors. Speaking of legends, Richard Harris was absolutely killer as the Orca killer ☕

Hands down, his best flick besides Duel. The cast, the direction, the acting, the editing—everything. Even the vibe and the soundtrack are spot on. There isn't a single weak link in this movie. It’s honestly such a shame he felt pressured later on to just chase whatever's trendy globally to please everyone.

I am totally obsessed with Dreyfuss in this one. I mean, pulling off a performance like that at just 26? Absolutely insane.🙏

The Ekatra movie... yeah, the sequel actually holds up quite well enough.
As for the triumvirate and the fourth one... honestly, I have no words. Just no comment.
It’s exactly why people like me get a little spooked by sharks and the deep ocean... movies like this don't help.

George Chavez8 said:I’m just obsessed with Dreyfuss in this flick. Like, pulling off a performance like that at only 26? Absolutely insane. 🙏

For real though, Quint and him? Easily one of the greatest duos in cinema history.

Last time I sat down to watch this, I honestly thought to myself, man, everything about this movie is just top-tier—the direction, the soundtrack, the acting... it’s all spot on.
It’s a total classic for a reason!

George Chavez8 said:I’m honestly just floored by Dreyfuss in this movie; the fact that he pulled off a performance like that at only 26 years old... 🙏

I had no idea he was that young. He looked like he was pushing 42 or something. https://www.google.com/search?q=rich...w=1920&bih=910

Patrick Martin said:I remember seeing the sequel in the theater when I was just a kid; I didn't actually catch the original on TV until much later. While the second one definitely keeps the tension high, the first film is an absolute classic. I have to agree, Quint is such a great character—I’ve always had a soft spot for that old guard of actors. He reminded me of Richard Harris playing that killer whale in Orca, just as brilliant. ☕

Just for the record, I was the one sitting in the theater watching the original when I was a boy.
I actually fell in love with the legendary Captain Quint a few years before I ever stepped foot in Goat town, kid...😉

Patrick—you might be a little too young to be getting all worked up over movie nostalgia and national pride...😉

bluecyclist64 said:Look, Patrick Martin, you’re a little too young for this much film snobbery and patriotic whining...😉

Just sitting here, soaking up all the wisdom being dropped around here. ☕

Jaws is truly something the film industry hasn't seen before. Everyone who watches it ends up needing a quick dip in the ocean both before and after the movie. My own experience is no different. Up until I was about 12, I spent my days swimming and diving fearlessly in the deep blue. But ever since watching that film, I find myself sticking to the shoreline, wading through the shallows alongside the kids and seniors. As I've gotten older, the fear has subsided somewhat, but if I ever head out for a deeper dive, I still catch myself imagining the silhouette of a massive white shape lurking in the distance.

bluecyclist64 said:I remember watching the first one in theaters when I was just a kid—had to do it for the record, I guess.
I actually fell in love with that legendary Captain Quint a few years before we even saw Sting in the water, man...😉

Patrick Martin — maybe you're a little too young to be getting all worked up about movies and patriotism...😉

The movie part is easy, but he tends to get a bit carried away when it comes to the other stuff. Someone should probably remind him it's not 2020 anymore. 😁

Joshua Hall4 said:Jaws as a movie is really something else—unlike anything else in Hollywood. Everyone who saw it had this specific period of swimming in the ocean, both before and after the film. My experience wasn't any different, I suppose. Up until about age 12, it was just carefree swimming and diving in deep, beautiful waters. But after seeing that movie, it turned into swimming near the shore and just splashing around in the shallows with the older folks and kids. As I've gotten older, the fear has died down a bit, but I still find that if I'm diving a little deeper, I occasionally imagine seeing the silhouette of something huge and white in the distance.

Not to go completely off-topic here, but 👍 even today, I sometimes see a fin heading straight for me, and it's all because of that "cursed" movie and the mark it left on me. If I'd known what kind of impact it would have, I might've thought twice about watching it. 😁

First off, I read the novel Jaws, which was absolutely fantastic.
I actually developed this weird obsession with the movie before I’d even seen it—back when you couldn't just find it anywhere.
I mean, the internet wasn't really a thing yet, VCRs were still a luxury, and the film had long since finished its original run in theaters.
But eventually, I managed to catch Jaws in theaters.
It was one of those revival screenings they used to run all the time in big city multiplexes—you know, where they'd dig up old films that had been out of rotation for years just because the film reels were still floating around somewhere.
This happened at the old theater over in a neighborhood like Brooklyn—it used to be called Apollo back in the day—before it eventually shut down and was handed over to a local theater troupe led by Zlatko Vitez.
To me, Jaws was nothing short of a masterpiece. That said, the book and the movie are pretty different, so I’d definitely suggest picking up the novel too. I actually borrowed a copy from the library about two years ago and found it to be a decent, easy read. They pulled it from the back storage stacks, and the stamp on the back indicated it hadn't been checked out since the 90s.

I guess this might be his best work, maybe even better than Duel.

If we’re being honest, the only film even remotely worthy of standing in the shadow of this classic is Deep Blue Sea (1999).👍

Joshua Kern said:The only worthy successor to this classic is Deep Blue Sea (1999)👍

Nah... Deep Blue Sea is—well, just like pretty much every shark flick released after Jaws—total trash. It’s high-quality trash, sure, but trash nonetheless.

For me, the best movie in this genre after Jaws has to be the Australian film "The reef."

It’s this completely minimalist thing where everything feels incredibly grounded and realistic.

Definitely worth a watch if you can find it.