Don't Go Near the Water

The message of the film Jaws: don’t go near the water. Jaws is out now and its scaring audiences all over the country. Directed by up and coming director, Steven Spielberg, the film is a hit at the box office. Based on a best-seller by the same name the film is set in the fictional Amity Island, a beach goer getaway. The plot revolves around the beach goers woes when they encounter a great white shark out in the water near the beach, and the police chief’s quest to hunt down the animal. After a couple of attacks on the beaches of Amity, the town is in a frenzy to find the animal. This is especially true since the town’s mayor failed to act responsibly by closing down the beaches. His reasoning is that it will hurt local business by driving down tourism. Although well-intended his decision caused even more incidents with the shark and the beach goers. Then it is up to the police chief, a marine biologist, and an expert shark hunter to capture the beast before it preys on new victims. The shark is portrayed by three robotic sharks to make it seem more realistic than using special effects yet, less dangerous than using a real shark. And, the film stayed true to its location by actually filming sea side in a northeastern beach and not in a studio. Both decisions were made by Spielberg who wanted to capture a more realistic film.  Overall, the camera angles, music, and the use of 3 life sized robot replicas of the shark made the film visually and audibly invigorating. The film spans over 134 of pure thrill. There is no disappointment in how Spielberg manages for the viewer to jump out of their chair, even when they already know the shark is coming.