Jaws Film Critique and Analysis

“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Jaws has been known around America as one of the best and most frightening movies for 40 years. But why is this? Jaws has been at the top of thriller films for 40 years because of its use of development of suspense, character development through external action, and character development through use of foils.

The development of suspense in Jaws is one of its best aspects. One suspense technique used by Steven Spielberg is the use of point of view shots. These point of view shots are used in suspenseful scenes such as the shark attacks. The camera is in the point of view of the shark, so we know when the shark is going to strike, but the characters do not. This makes the audience feel very uncomfortable because they want to warn the characters, but they cannot do anything but sit there. Another suspenseful technique that these point of view shots create is dramatic irony. Because of the camera being placed in the point of view of the shark, we know where the shark is and what is about to happen while the characters do not.

Steven Spielberg uses character development through external action in order to make us care more about the film. Through external action, these characters become more real to us throughout the movie. In one scene, chief Brody is with his son at a table and they are making faces at each other. This really makes us care about him so much more because we realize how committed and loving he is to his family. If this scene was here, the audience would not really care what happened to Brody at the end. Now that we relate to him however, we want him to survive and come out on top. Without this character development, the audience is less involved in the movie.

Spielberg uses character foils in order for us to better understand the characters. The movie Jaws has many characters, but two characters in particular are almost exact opposites of each other. Quint and Hooper are foils of each other because of their experiences. Quint is a country man that has spent his days at sea and fought in the war. He is a very harsh and rough individual. He also has experience with hunting and killing sharks. Hooper is a city man that spends his days in a lab studying sharks. He is friendly and not very tough. He has some experience with sharks, but he has not hunted them before. As you can see, these two characters have completely opposite traits. This foil highlights the traits of the two men, and makes Quint seem all the more mean, while making hooper seem all the more soft. This makes the audience more interested in the movie because of the interactions between these two characters.

Jaws stands the test of time as one of the best thriller movies of all time. Not only does it have a great story line, but it also uses some very powerful plot techniques. Steven spielberg does a great job not only developing the characters through external action and foils, but also by developing suspense throughout the movie. When people watch this movie today, they are still frightened by it and they still love both the movie and the characters. Jaws will continue to be a popular movie until these film techniques die out (if they ever do).