FORMAT: 4K UHD
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
(As posted on May 20th, 2015)
Jaws has always been one of my favorite movies as far back as I can remember. Sadly, I wasn’t old enough to see it during its original theatrical run (although I did see both Jaws 3-D and Jaws the Revenge). The other night, as part of our local theater’s “Classic Movie Mondays”, I was able to finally see it on the big screen as God and Spielberg intended, and boy what a difference it makes.
Whenever I watched Jaws in the past, it was on a modestly sized television screen. Seeing the shark for the first time on the big screen is a revelation. I mean when the shark pops out of the water for the first time, you’re more or less seeing him at actual size. The opening shark attack scene was simply breathtaking on the big screen. Heck, just hearing John Williams’ iconic score coming out of those giant speakers was enough to get the goosebumps going and the hairs standing on the back of your neck.
It also helped that the film was playing to a packed house. Even though most of the people were clearly fans of the movie, they were jumping out of their seats and screaming at all the right parts. The scene where the severed leg of the hapless boater slowly floats to the bottom of the ocean had everyone hooting and hollering. When Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) uttered the immortal line, “Smile, you son of a bitch!” the audience erupted into an applause the likes I’ve never heard.
When the film is on dry land, Jaws is a terrific Killer Shark movie. Murray Hamilton is great as the asshole mayor who wants to keep the beaches open on the fourth of July, despite the fact there’s a giant shark just off the coast eating swimmers left and right. How many other Killer Animal flicks used this same stock character? Too many to count, but Hamilton essays the role expertly, and when he finally learns his lesson, we can’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.
When the action moves out to the open water, Jaws becomes something more. It becomes a mythic tale of Man vs. Nature that has no equal. Moby Dick is for pussies. The Old Man and the Sea is for wussies. Jaws is where it’s at.
As played by Robert Shaw, Quint is one of the greatest characters in all of cinema. The old crusty sea captain is distrustful of Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) because he’s rich and he uses all sorts of newfangled shark technology. However, when Quint’s seasoned, antiquated ways of shark hunting prove futile, he grudgingly turns to Hooper for help. Of course, this shark is so lethal that Hooper’s fancy equipment doesn’t last very long either, but it’s the fact that Quint looks to Hooper for help (out of desperation as well as respect) shows how his character grows throughout the film.
The centerpiece has nothing to do with the shark. It’s just Quint, Brody, and Hooper sitting around the boat, drinking, singing, and showing off their scars. This is the single greatest male bonding scene in screen history. Not to mention the fact that Quint’s speech about the USS Indianapolis is one of the most stirring monologues ever captured on film.
In the end, Quint fights the shark kicking and screaming (literally). When he dies, his loss is sorely felt. Hooper barely survives his run-in with the shark and quickly swims off for safety. It’s then up to Brody to dig down deep and man up to fight the shark.
Quint is the man of yesterday, still stuck in his old shark hunting ways. Hooper is the man of tomorrow with all of his expensive shark hunting gadgets. Brody is Mr. Right Now. He doesn’t know stern from bow. He has to take Dramamine to go onboard the boat. He is an everyman, a family man, an average Joe who is plagued with doubt and fear. However, when the chips are down, it is Brody who is the hero.
Armed with only his wits, a canister of compressed air, and a rifle, he takes on the beast as the ship slowly sinks into the sea. This scene is so rife with tension, and when he finally does take the sucker down… well… it’s just one of the most perfect moments you’ll ever experience on a movie screen. Quite simply, Jaws is one of The Greatest Movies in the History of the Human Race.
QUICK THOUGHTS:
That original review was my reaction to seeing Jaws on the big screen. Seeing it at home on a large flat screen TV in 4K is the next best thing. (All that’s missing is hearing the audience’s reactions to the film’s most iconic moments.) Other than that, it’s Jaws. What more needs to be said?
4K UHD NOTES:
The 4k transfer of Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece is excellent. The picture is razor sharp while still retaining the soft-focus majesty of Bill Butler’s cinematography. The nighttime scenes are appropriately dark, yet crisp and full of detail (particularly the underwater scenes), and the daytime sequences look bright and picturesque. In short, every self-respecting film lover with a 4K player needs this one in their collection.
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