Jaws Blu-Ray Review

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Running Time: 124 minutes

Certificate: 12

Extras: The Making Of Jaws, Deleted Scenes and Outtakes, The Shark Is Still Waiting: The Impact And Legacy Of Jaws, Jaws: The Restoration, From The Set, Jaws Archives, Theatrical Trailer

Classic, blockbuster, not about sharks: JAWS has been described as all of these things. To say anything about the film that hasn’t already been said is near impossible. It’s a mesmerising, tension filled, groundbreaking, leviathan of a movie, the first to gross over $100 million, and the original summer blockbuster. There will be no trudging of old ground in this review, as is the case with any restored classic the most important thing to ask is, is it worth it? Retailing at £22.99 in a lovely steelbook it’s a big ask, particularly in these harsh economic times. So here we go.

JAWS, based on Peter Benchley’s novel, is Steven Spielberg’s third foray into the cinema. Released June 20, 1975 in the USA, and boxing day 1975 in the UK the film scared a cinema going public senseless whilst singlehandedly making the sea as terrifying as it should be. Think about it – it’s deep, dark, watery, and full of fish. We shouldn’t have needed a movie to be afraid of it. But terrifying JAWS is regardless, and with John Williams extraordinary score thumping in your ears, your mind’s eye will see jagged toothed monsters, swimmers ripped limb from limb, and lilos burst, even when there’s nothing more than a dark watery surface on screen. Roy Schneider (Brody), Robert Shaw (Quint) and Richard Dreyfuss (Hooper) are the saviours we so sorely need, they also happen to be the finest cinematic trio ever put together: you have Brody, the serious one, Quint, the fisherman they need in spite of his eccentricities and price, and Hooper, the shark expert. Their chemistry is gold and the rest is quotable history.

Now, of course, it’s 37 years old, and restoration is a dangerous game: taking a film such as this and polishing it within an inch of its life runs the risk of alienating the faithful audience, and it’s odd to see a classic so perfectly presented. The 1970s fashion seems wrong shown in crystal clarity, and whilst JAWS mostly manages to avoid any issues there are a few scenes – underwater particularly – that were clearly beyond saving and stick out like a sharks fin. However, the sound mix is truly spectacular throughout – particularly noticeable in light of the very disappointing DVD audio – this is both a testament to the restoration process and John Williams’ flawless work. The new print and mix are definitely worth your money.

How about the extras supplied? The Making Of Jaws is an exhaustive and enthralling two hour journey through the production of the movie, with all the main players discussing the trials and tribulations on-set – the benchmark for ‘making of’ documentaries. Elsewhere, The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact And Legacy Of Jaws is effectively a fanboy documentary on how JAWS has influenced film; again the main players are involved, along with some welcome (and unwelcome, Eli Roth) Hollywood talking heads, and is absolutely unmissable. Jaws: The Restoration looks at the remastering of JAWS from the original print and is the only brand new extra for the package; it’s absolutely fascinating but at 8 eight minutes a bit short and feels rushed; From The Set is a documentary from 1974 with some annoying Brit narrating, and an even more annoying guy who pops up chiming, correctly, about how incredibly young Spielberg was during the making of JAWS and the trust Universal put in him. The deleted scenes are not up to much except a scene with Quint behind a child playing a recorder which is hilarious – he imitates the notes as they are played with a maniacal glint in his eye and an ever raising volume – and the outtakes tacked on the end are pointless. The Jaws Archive is a slideshow of storyboards, marketing materials, production photos, and a look at more promotional material from around the world and along with the trailer aren’t really worth the disc space. The extras are a mixed bunch from the definitive to the pointless but the making of alone is worth your time and money, so we have a win.

The JAWS re-release would have been met with fanfare regardless of the package put together, so it’s very pleasing to report this is a release befitting of the movie. A truly magical effort by Universal in their 100th year and a treat worth £22.99 of anyone’s money.

 JAWS is released on Blu-ray 3rd September and can be pre-ordered here.