Jaws 50th Anniversary Review
It’s hard to believe, but Jaws is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. They’ve brought it back to theaters for this milestone, but as much as I would love to experience it on the big screen, I had to pass. The only showings at my local theater are in the evening — 5 pm and 7 pm — and I just can’t handle going out at night these days. Still, it’s wild to think I was just a year old when this movie first came out! I didn’t actually see it until I was about 13, but I’ve watched it many times since then.
Most recently, I revisited it on Peacock for its anniversary. They included a great little intro with Steven Spielberg talking about the film’s history and some of the infamous production issues, especially with the mechanical shark, “Bruce.” I always enjoy hearing those behind-the-scenes tidbits.
Even after all these years, Jaws absolutely holds up. I still love it just as much as I did the first time I saw it. Watching it this time, my husband Mike and I couldn’t help but laugh about the lighting inconsistencies — like how the sunset looked completely different between the girl in the water and the boy on the beach. Those kinds of quirks just make older movies more charming to me.
One of my favorite things continues to be the famous ad-libbed line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” I never noticed before that Brody actually mentions needing a bigger boat more than once!
And we had a good laugh watching Hooper — he just kept dropping things left and right. Mike joked that he had butterfingers. Little moments like that make these rewatches so much fun.
In the end, Jaws is still a masterpiece. Suspenseful, well-acted, and endlessly quotable. No matter how many times I watch it, I’m hooked.
We enjoyed watching the movie with some Jaws Red Wine that I found at the grocery store.
