FIUSM EXCLUSIVE: Fourth of July: Fun, fireworks…and sharks?

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Juan Barquin/Columnist

Yes, my fellow Americans, you read that right. Celebrating this great holiday in the upcoming days on the beaches of Miami, sharks are the greatest threat we face to the joys and wonders of patriotism. Not just any sharks, but great white sharks.

Catching them in “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” may make them out to be a non-threat, but be warned: they are. One film shows us the truth about these great white demons and that film is the 1975 classic “Jaws.”

All joking aside, “Jaws” is actually a fairly flawed and inaccurate story about a giant shark that just happens to be a massively entertaining film nonetheless. Roy Scheider stars as police chief Martin Brody, who attempts to close down the beach for Fourth of July weekend after a young woman is killed by a shark, only to be overruled by the mayor who inadvertently causes more death.

What unfolds from there is a series of surprisingly calm and quiet moments that are just as stressful and tense as when blood stains the water red. The film is riddled with scenes between Scheider and his castmates, from Richard Dreyfuss to Lorraine Gary, having discussions about the situations at hand, and its exactly those scenes that make those attacks pop so well.

For all the inaccuracies about sharks that come along with the screenplay, what makes “Jaws” work so well is just how well Steven Spielberg put it together. While watching it’s almost overwhelming to think that Spielberg managed to craft something that would be known as the beginning of the blockbuster feature in his early days as a director.

Looking back, “Jaws” is a pretty modest feature for the big name of blockbuster we know today. It relies heavily, and smartly, on the performances of its actors and its dialogue rather than just plain action, and it features one of Scheider’s best performances (with “All That Jazz” being the only one to arguably overshadow it).

For all the lack of realism in the shark’s relentless fury and strength, Steven Spielberg direction ensured that this would be a thriller with bite, as every little aspect of the film is right where it should be. Where modern blockbusters have blood, babes, and bullets galore, Spielberg smartly keeps it all to a minimum. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but the moment you watch Shaw’s shark hunter being killed, you know Brody was right when he said, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

Sure, watching a fake shark devour people without a hint of special effects isn’t exactly the most fear-inspiring thing in this day and age, but it’s still plain entertaining. For all the ways it’s aged awkwardly, there’s a charm and heart that just can’t be taken away from a thriller about a giant shark and the people trying to stop it that’s well put together and not just a bad SyFy movie.

Nothing about the film is quite as powerful or memorable as its score however. Back when John Williams was a force to be reckoned with, and not the self-plagiarizing bore he is today, the theme from “Jaws” that lingered creepily in its opening scene left audiences paralyzed. Even today with all the times its been parodied, it still proves to be an effective piece of music.

When your best bet for a summer film at this point in the year ranges from “sci-fi action travesty A” to “sci-fi action travesty Z,” you’re just plain better off spending your long weekend at home watching a movie that genuinely changed the face of film back in the seventies. As amazing as “Jaws” is though, you can still subject yourself to some travesties if you decide to experience some of the beautifully bad sequels its greatness spawned.

juan.barquin@fiusm.com