It's the movie that launched the summer blockbuster phenomenon. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water,Jawsreturns to Netflix.
Yes, that's the tagline forJaws 2, I know. It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to say that before anyone got gobbled up the first time, right? Oops - I guess that was a spoiler. A spoiler for one of the best-known films in Hollywood history, now celebrating its 50th anniversary. So, sorry, I guess.
The concept of the summer blockbusterall began withJaws. Whether that's a good thing or not has been the subject offierce debate for decades. I'm taking no sides on this issue here. Just know that withoutJaws, there is noStar Wars, noRaiders of the Lost Ark, no MCU vs DCU, etc, etc. That might make Martin Scorsese happy, but for most of us, thank you, Steven Spielberg.
That was no tongue-in-cheek gesture to Spielberg. He's one of the most successful directors of all time, and it all started with a story about a fish. "A smart, big fish," to quote Robert Shaw as Quint, the shark-obsessed Ahab of the story. Along with Roy Scheider as Chief Martin Brody and Richard Dreyfuss as marine biologist Matt Hooper, the trio go after a massive great white shark that's terrorizing the small community of Amity Island.
For those of you who weren't around in 1975, it's almost impossible to understand the impact ofJaws.It grossed $470 million worldwide. Yes, that's basically chump change now, but adjusted for inflation,that would be $1.56 billion today. That's what is known as spendin' money where I come from. Consider thatThe Godfatherwas the previous all-time box office champ with a global take of $250 million. That was in no way a summer popcorn flick.
So that's the good news;Jawswill be on your screens July 15th. The bad news is, so will all the sequels. Okay,Jaws IIis pretty good, even though it's just a retread of the first film. Of the three stars from the first, only Roy Scheider returned. Well, Scheider and Bruce, the mechanical shark. It's entertaining enough, but frankly, you're better off just waiting a few days and watching the original again.
As forJaws 3-D(yes, that's the original title), I suppose you could watch it if you want to see Dennis Quaid mess around with a great white shark at SeaWorld. This is the second sequel that Spielberg wisely chose to avoid. I mean, I guess it isn't reallythatbad. At least not compared to the final film in the series.
That cinematic trainwreck would beJaws: The Revenge. Lorraine Gary, who co-starred in the first two films, returns to battle a great white shark that follows her family for thousands of miles to - you guessed it - get its revenge. When told that the film wasn't exactly a masterpiece, co-star Michael Caine said, "I haven't seen it, but I've seen the house it bought my mother, and it's marvelous."
The IMDB ratings for the films are as follows:Jaws, 8.1;Jaws 2, 5.8;Jaws 3-D, 3.7; andJaws: The Revenge, 3.1. So you have a masterpiece, a decent popcorn film, a background noise flick, and one that will make you throw popcorn at your TV. Eh, just go watchthe breakout starof Jurassic World Rebirth instead.
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