Almost everyone can remember the first time they saw Star Wars or the first Twilight movie, but I believe everyone remembers the first time they saw the movie Jaws. Some movies will have your heart race in excitement or have you rolling on the floor with laughter, Jaws was the movie that had you afraid of the water, and not just the oceans, the pools too. Every aspect of this film has a redeemable quality about it. From the actual way the movie is shot and made, to the characters and their stories that they live and tell. This movie is near flawless and it’s helped by having a hero everyone can relate to, and having a villain everyone is deathly afraid of. This movie is a masterpiece, and no other movie has the perfect villains or the perfect hero like the movie Jaws does.
When the film starts, we are introduced to the villains first, not the hero. The villains, and yes, I count two in this film, are the music and the shark. We don’t get to see the shark until an hour in the film, yet we are afraid of it and the water after the opening scene, because of the music. The low beat and the camera angle that we are given is the cleverest way to portray a villain and have the audience be afraid without even seeing the shark yet. We know that it will kill people and it will in the most violent of ways, with no remorse. We are also left to use our imagination as to how big this monster really is, and what it looks like. This setting us up perfectly to relate as we get ready to follow our hero.
We learn early on that Brody is deathly afraid of the water, but we don’t know why yet. The film pays so much attention to detail in just his characters actions alone. In a lot of movies, the characters on screen will tell you what’s happening instead of you watching and finding out for yourself. This film doesn’t treat the audience like they don’t know what’s happening and I love it. You learn so much about Brody and his character through his actions not just his dialogue. A scene that shows this perfectly is the beach scene when the shark first attacks the young kid. On the beach when the shark attacks, everyone starts to run to or from the water, at this point we still don’t know why Brody is afraid of the water, but we assume that since he is the Chief of Police that he would handle the problem and run in to help. Instead, when the panic ensues, Brody is seen standing still, as far from the water as possible, and waving/yelling to help people. He should be running to the water to help, but his fear of the water and the shark are so strong that he can’t do anything but stand in shock, yell, and wave people down. Its only when he finds out his kid and his family are in danger that he forces himself to put his fears aside to save not only his loved ones but the town. Something that all of us can relate to in one way or another.
Flash forward, and Brody is on the water hunting for the shark with the two other characters, Quint and Hooper. Even though he has now made the decision to go after the shark he is still a flawed character and hasn’t completed his arc yet. On the boat he makes countless mistakes but never gives up and continues to fight. One mistake that he remembers and is the perfect wrap up for his character arc was with the oxygen canisters that Hooper brings on board. When they first get onboard Brody ties a loose knot and the canisters let loose, Hooper yells at him and lets him know that if it happens again that the canisters could blow up and kill them. A little later when the shark is attacking the boat the cannisters start to raddle and become loose again. We don’t get any dialogue but what we do get is a quick shot of Brody dropping what he’s doing to handle those cannisters before they fall and blow up. After some more conflict, our hero is left one on one with the shark on the now sinking ship. The shark breaks through the glass and Brody having nothing else to fight with picks up the last canister and starts using it as a weapon. Soon the shark gets the canister and leaves to regroup. Brody finds a rifle and instead of talking to himself about the canister and the explosion that could happen, we see it happen through his actions and determination to kill this shark. He climbs on the last bits of the sinking ship and before he’s fully submerged, he kills the shark and saves the day.
The characters Brody and the shark are the best hero and villain combo I have seen on screen. On the one hand, we are terrified of this beast that is terrorizing this summer town and we use our imagination for over half of the film to create our own fear of the water and shark. Then we are introduced to the main character who we can now all relate with, having a hate or a fear of the water after seeing the horrific intro to the film. Allowing the audience to hear the villain instead of seeing it allows us to better relate with Brody and feel like we are along for the ride with him and have the same fears that no one else in the film seems to have. He as a character, has the perfect set up for us to like him and root for him, and the perfect arc. He is not perfect, and we are seeing his flaws more on screen than hearing about them, treating the audience like we have a conscience. Jaws isn’t a perfect movie, but it does have the best hero and villain combo to touch the silver screen.
When the film starts, we are introduced to the villains first, not the hero. The villains, and yes, I count two in this film, are the music and the shark. We don’t get to see the shark until an hour in the film, yet we are afraid of it and the water after the opening scene, because of the music. The low beat and the camera angle that we are given is the cleverest way to portray a villain and have the audience be afraid without even seeing the shark yet. We know that it will kill people and it will in the most violent of ways, with no remorse. We are also left to use our imagination as to how big this monster really is, and what it looks like. This setting us up perfectly to relate as we get ready to follow our hero.
We learn early on that Brody is deathly afraid of the water, but we don’t know why yet. The film pays so much attention to detail in just his characters actions alone. In a lot of movies, the characters on screen will tell you what’s happening instead of you watching and finding out for yourself. This film doesn’t treat the audience like they don’t know what’s happening and I love it. You learn so much about Brody and his character through his actions not just his dialogue. A scene that shows this perfectly is the beach scene when the shark first attacks the young kid. On the beach when the shark attacks, everyone starts to run to or from the water, at this point we still don’t know why Brody is afraid of the water, but we assume that since he is the Chief of Police that he would handle the problem and run in to help. Instead, when the panic ensues, Brody is seen standing still, as far from the water as possible, and waving/yelling to help people. He should be running to the water to help, but his fear of the water and the shark are so strong that he can’t do anything but stand in shock, yell, and wave people down. Its only when he finds out his kid and his family are in danger that he forces himself to put his fears aside to save not only his loved ones but the town. Something that all of us can relate to in one way or another.
Flash forward, and Brody is on the water hunting for the shark with the two other characters, Quint and Hooper. Even though he has now made the decision to go after the shark he is still a flawed character and hasn’t completed his arc yet. On the boat he makes countless mistakes but never gives up and continues to fight. One mistake that he remembers and is the perfect wrap up for his character arc was with the oxygen canisters that Hooper brings on board. When they first get onboard Brody ties a loose knot and the canisters let loose, Hooper yells at him and lets him know that if it happens again that the canisters could blow up and kill them. A little later when the shark is attacking the boat the cannisters start to raddle and become loose again. We don’t get any dialogue but what we do get is a quick shot of Brody dropping what he’s doing to handle those cannisters before they fall and blow up. After some more conflict, our hero is left one on one with the shark on the now sinking ship. The shark breaks through the glass and Brody having nothing else to fight with picks up the last canister and starts using it as a weapon. Soon the shark gets the canister and leaves to regroup. Brody finds a rifle and instead of talking to himself about the canister and the explosion that could happen, we see it happen through his actions and determination to kill this shark. He climbs on the last bits of the sinking ship and before he’s fully submerged, he kills the shark and saves the day.
The characters Brody and the shark are the best hero and villain combo I have seen on screen. On the one hand, we are terrified of this beast that is terrorizing this summer town and we use our imagination for over half of the film to create our own fear of the water and shark. Then we are introduced to the main character who we can now all relate with, having a hate or a fear of the water after seeing the horrific intro to the film. Allowing the audience to hear the villain instead of seeing it allows us to better relate with Brody and feel like we are along for the ride with him and have the same fears that no one else in the film seems to have. He as a character, has the perfect set up for us to like him and root for him, and the perfect arc. He is not perfect, and we are seeing his flaws more on screen than hearing about them, treating the audience like we have a conscience. Jaws isn’t a perfect movie, but it does have the best hero and villain combo to touch the silver screen.
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