Steven Spielberg’s iconic masterpiece in tension, fear, and dread turns 50 this year. Jaws (1975) is a staple in horror cinema. Frantic scenes, killer jump scares, and a truly unforgettable John Williams score that made the shark an even bigger menace.
Jaws was so impactful for it’s time that it made audiences scared to swim. Its tagline, ‘Don’t go in the water’ was a fear that was taken quite literally. Reducing swimming and beachgoers in the summer of 1975 saw it brand its own term known as ‘The Jaws Effect.’
The film changed the public perception on sharks as a whole. It had such an impact that it spawned a wave of negative shark myths and misconceptions. In our review and analysis of Jaws (1975), we explore its character development, powerful performances, and how its protagonist, Chief Brody changes as the stakes become increasingly tensional.
Jaws: A Masterpiece in Mass Panic
Roy Scheider’s Chief Brody leads a story which is a masterpiece in suspense, tension, and dread. The pressure on Brody surmounts as Amity Island increasingly becomes weary of a shark sighting.
But doubt mixed in with the Mayor’s greed to keep the beach open for the tourism industry to continue to flourish made the tension for Brody even grander. For the story’s primary antagonist is the shark whilst the secondary antagonist is undoubtedly the money-grabbing dollar-sign seeking Mayor (Murray Hamilton).
However, at the midpoint, as new characters are introduced, we begin seeing an even tougher challenge. As Brody learns more about the shark, he’s placed through a series of trials before he comes face-to-face with his enemy.
A Wave of Iconic Scenes
The iconic Dolly Zoom pan from Roy Scheider’s scene-stealing Chief Brody, as he sits calmly in a deck chair before all hell breaks loose on the beach. We soon see him screaming ‘get out of the water.’ A scene which quickly cemented itself to become one of the most memorable and iconic in cinema history.
With such natural acting from its stellar cast of three leading men. From Roy Scheider’s erratic Chief Brody to Robert Shaw’s tough fisherman, Quint and Richard Dreyfuss’ intelligent and soft-natured oceanographer, Hooper. All three actors made Jaws mean so much to cinema history today.
It wasn’t any propeller! It wasn’t any coral reef! And it wasn’t Jack the Ripper! It was a shark.
Matt Hooper, Jaws (1975).
Voyaging Character Dynamics
One of the best elements in Jaws is the character dynamics. The clash between the raw and spear-headed Quint against the well-educated and elegantly spoken, Hooper creates a tough dynamic. Particularly for Brody, who is stuck playing the middle-man between two characters who are polar opposites.
This dynamic is eventually played out well as we delve into the backstory of Quint’s history and the reason behind his behaviour. And Hooper begins to understand him and wants to reconcile. They eventually begin to have a mutual understanding, but it comes at a time when it’s just too late.
Such a technique hangs the audience by the hook. Literally and figuratively as we wish their new friendship was found much sooner. But of course, for the purpose of storytelling and building tension, the two characters were never meant to be friends. Their constant butting of heads gives Brody an even bigger obstacle to overcome.
Jaws is arguably one of Steven Spielberg’s best films. The master in creating cinematic blockbusters, the film placed Spielberg on the map and launched his directing career. Jaws has since cemented itself in pop-culture history too. Its influence is so wide-scale that whenever you think of shark films, Jaws is the threshold. The film was of course, based on Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel of the same name, in which he also received a cameo as an interviewer on Amity Island.
Y’know the thing about a shark, he’s got… lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes.
Quint, Jaws (1975).
Jaws: High Emotional Tides
Jaws is a masterpiece in expressing such a wide spectrum of emotions. There’s suspense and dread, empathy and trepidation, misery and despair for its victims. Jaws really builds from its atmosphere. Tensions rise across different relationships – with Brody and his family, and the Mayor, along with Hooper and Quint’s opposing ideologies and backgrounds.
Family is at the heart of Jaws. We see an unravelling of Chief Brody’s character from family man to slowly becoming more unstable as the shark draws nearer to the shore. Chief Brody is no longer in control of Amity Island. There’s threats everywhere for Brody – the mayor, the town, and of course, the shark.
Brody is constantly trying to prove himself in his roles as father and Chief. He becomes less sane as the story develops, and the stakes become much higher. Growing up in New York, this new environment away from the city is something Chief Brody increasingly struggles to adapt to – and the people and atmosphere causes him to spiral. His fear of the water is another hurdle he must learn to overcome to defeat the bigger ‘monster’ that lies ahead.
You’re gonna need a bigger boat.
Chief Brody, Jaws (1975).
Swimmingly Tensional
An astounding performance by Lee Fierro as Ms. Kintner gives a powerful portrayal of a mother in despairing grief after her son is taken by the shark. It’s emotionally gripping, and Brody clearly feels the loss on a personal level having two sons himself. Her distress fuels his fire to capture the shark even more and almost causes him to spiral into complete disarray.
Every scene is integral to the story. If you miss something, then you miss the little details that matter. So much content is packed into its 124 minute-run time. Yet it’s no surprise that the screenplay has been heavily studied over the years for its strong structure and powerful character development.
The franchise made such an impact, it spawned sequels including Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983), and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). For its subsequent sequels, nothing can quite beat the original bite.
Rating: 5 Stars
Jaws (1975) returns to UK cinemas this week to commemorate its 50th anniversary. You can read more horror analysis, like Bring Her Back (2025) here.
