Jaws

The movie that did for swimming what Psycho did for showers, Steven Spielberg's 1975 big fish story was the reigning box-office champ until it was toppled by Star Wars. Based on Peter Benchley's middling bestselling novel, the storyline--which is as clean and precise as a filleted scuba diver--centers on the summer appearance of a Great White shark in the waters off the coast of the New England resort town of Amity. Concerned police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches, but the mayor (Murray Hamilton) wants them open for 4th of July tourist business. After the shark strikes again, Brody, together with wisecracking scientific expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and burly, obsessed fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) go on a fishing expedition (and in one of the film's most memorable scenes the fish catches most of the boat). Although Jaws spawned three sequels, none of them delivered anywhere near the gut-level horror of the masterfully directed, Best Picture-nominated original, backed by John Williams' relentless musical score (for which he picked up an Oscar). Marking the film's third appearance on DVD, the double-disc Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition boasts a solid transfer and a slew of extras, including a great “making-of” documentary (123 min.), deleted scenes and outtakes, a Spielberg interview, the “Jaws Archives" (production photos, storyboards, marketing materials, etc.), and a 50-page commemorative photo booklet. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 14, 2012—Universal, 124 min., PG, $29.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1975's Jaws features a great transfer with DTS-HD 7.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” documentary (123 min.), the new documentary “The Shark is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws” (102 min.), deleted scenes and outtakes (14 min.), a featurette on the restoration process (9 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (9 min.), galleries (storyboard, production photo, poster, and art), trailers, the BD-Live function, and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a classic blockbuster makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]