Noah Thompson’s review published on Letterboxd:
You're gonna need a bigger boat.
Belated 4th of July viewing, but also watched with my mom on her birthday since she wanted to, so who am I to in any circumstance turn down a viewing of one of my favorite movies? What I have to say about Jaws at least at a surface level I detailed in my first review for this film, which about a year later after its publication is still one of my favorite write-ups I've done on Letterboxd. I would recommend reading that to get a better read on how much this film means to me, because otherwise here I'm keeping to the basics. Jaws remains one of the best thrillers ever made, and if you count it within the genre, my favorite horror film. Now considered the first "blockbuster" in movie history, the beginning of "big" movies for the summer, it can be forgotten just how intricate, intimate, and dirty of a movie this is. It's violent even by the standards today, some of the blood and gore standing the tests of time very well. The opening in particular reminded me of the iconic introduction of Night of the Living Dead, where "They're coming to get you, Barbara." quickly transitions to lurking zombie horror. The same goes for this, where we go from that spine-chilling John Williams score underwater, to beach fire making out and skinny dipping, then right into that unforgettable thrashing and screaming of the black water under the moonlight. The most intense way I've seen Jaws was back in 2015 when I got to actually see it in a theater for its anniversary. (It's true what they say: You never really see a movie until you actually go to "the movies" to see it.) That said, I continue to be stunned by how many times I have seen this from the comfort of my home, and it still is as tense as it is. Quint's army story, Hooper in the cage, the build-up to the finale explosion, those are of course the highlights of the second half of Jaws in regards to tension, but the film does such a good job with alternating between plot, thrills, and character beats. You'd be pressed to, since its initial release, find a better film of any variety. Steven Spielberg, even if this was his only hit, would have bought himself a lifetime supply of trust that he's a master at this shit. Thankfully, he kept it up, he's one of the best to ever do it now and forever, so on and so forth. Asking me to praise this movie is like throwing chum in the water. I'll keep thinking of shit to say about it if someone doesn't stop me. The film I've seen the most times in my life, couldn't have picked better.
10/10
