Jaws (1975)
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
Where to get it: Universal
The Prologue
In the year 1975 director Steven Spielberg under the label of Universal unleashed a thriller upon the world that made everyone afraid to go into the water. That film was called Jaws. This was a timeless story of a great white shark that was terrorizing locals at a beach. With Universal celebrating 100 years of great films, it was a matter of time before Jaws got a re-release. This coming Tuesday that release hits the shelves with a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack that features this legendary film in a grand re-mastered form in HD. It will also be loaded down with special features and all is approved by Steven Spielberg himself. Let us now take a look at this much anticipated release.
The Movie
It’s a hot summer on Amity Island, a small community whose main business is its beaches. When new Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn’t sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy’s mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they’re going to need a bigger boat.
Jaws was released a bit before my time. I wasn’t born until 1983 and as a child I don’t think I truly got Jaws. Now older I can see why people did take to this film as much as they did back in 1975. Steven Spielberg is a master behind the camera and that comes through in spades in Jaws. We a horrific story that is told in a manner that makes it watchable for people of all ages, yet it packs drama, suspense, and some cool little gore scenes. The characters (who are all acted perfectly by their respected actors) seem real and are very likeable. You really need these elements to make a great movie and they are all delivered here in great ways.
If you could have a real complaint with this movie it might be some of the musical score. I’m not talking about the classic theme song that everyone loves. A little over an hour into this movie our main men who are on their way to kill this great white are on the boat when this shark first attacks. Now this is a serious moment. Our characters do keep some black forms of humor in their words and actions, but its serious business. The music that plays during this scene isn’t very tense at all. It’s almost light hearted in tone and style. If I had to complain about anything in this film that poor choice of music for that scene would probably be it.
Jaws doesn’t use a lot of bells and whistles to make its point. It’s just good storytelling and superbly shot. Horror purist of the world will be able to appreciate this movie for it tension and brief moments of gore. Some of the more gore whore audience might look at this film with the same loving eyes as the rest, but with the new transfer and master it will at least look appealing to them. This is a classic release for a classic film. If you love Jaws already you will love it even more now. And if you were iffy on it in the past, this might even change your mind.
The Conclusion
Jaws comes to us looking as good as any film from 1975 could look. I’ve heard people speaking very negative about the transfers of classic Universal films before, but this one hits the spot. It even has a special feature showing the process of converting this to HD. Overall; I’d say Jaws hits a homerun on Blu-ray with this release. If you wish to own some of the more classic films that have ever hit film it’s a release like this one here that you will want.
The Rating (8/10)
Special Features
– Digitally remastered and fully restored from high resolution 35MM original film elements to get the most from your HDTV
– Digital Copy of Jaws (download by 12/31/2013)
– UltraViolet Copy of Jaws (download/redeem by 12/31/2013)
The Shark is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws – All-new feature-length documentary featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with cast and crew including Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider
– The Making of Jaws: A feature-length documentary featuring interviews with key cast and crew
– Jaws: The Restoration – An all-new in-depth look at the intricate process of restoring the movie
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes From the Set: An insider’s look at life on the set of Jaws, featuring an interview with Steven Spielberg Storyboards Production Photos
– Marketing Jaws
– Jaws Phenomenon
– Original Theatrical Trailer
– pocket BLU: App for smartphones and tablets – take content on the go! BD-Live: Internet-connected features
– My Scenes: Bookmark your favorite scenes
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