The movie that launched the summer blockbuster returns to Netflix

Da -dum. Da-dum. Da-dum da-dum da-dum da-dum...
Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws
Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws | Sunset Boulevard/GettyImages

It's the movie that launched the summer blockbuster phenomenon. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Jaws returns to Netflix.

Yes, that's the tagline for Jaws 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 blockbuster all began with Jaws. Whether that's a good thing or not has been the subject of fierce debate for decades. I'm taking no sides on this issue here. Just know that without Jaws, there is no Star Wars, no Raiders 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 of Jaws. 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 that The Godfather was 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; Jaws will be on your screens July 15th. The bad news is, so will all the sequels. Okay, Jaws II is 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 for Jaws 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 really that bad. At least not compared to the final film in the series.

That cinematic trainwreck would be Jaws: 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; and Jaws: 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 watch the breakout star of Jurassic World Rebirth instead.

More from FlickSided: