JAWS

Name: JAWS
Item: JAWS
Author: Review

"50 Summers Later, We’re Still Not Going in the Water"

Family Content: -2 Extreme caution for older teenagers and adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

As Universal celebrates the 50th anniversary of JAWS, this classic monster thriller has sparked fear of the ocean and sharks for decades and continues to be a staple of film history. A series of attacks by a massive great white shark terrorizes beachgoers in a New England beach town during the Fourth of July; causing Chief Brody to grapple with protecting the townspeople and ultimately facing the terrifying shark itself with the expert help of a rag-tag shark hunter, Quint, and a well-educated oceanographer, Hooper, on a boat named "The Orca."

With a moral worldview, the film explores the intricacies of nature vs. man, technology, and money with violent shark attacks and gore. This timeless film is a staple of cinema history that has captured deep fears of audiences for 50 years. Some crude language, smoking, marijuana, violent shark attacking children/adults, and bloody gore (i.e. bodies, limbs, blood, gore, etc.) are depicted. Extreme caution is advised for teenagers and adults.

Content:

(C, B, H. LL, VVV, N, AA, DD, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

A moral worldview with a strong sense of justice in the face of economic and political pressures. Strong biblical worldview, with redemptive elements, promoting heroism, bravery, and sacrifice, it also contains a Humanist worldview as the Major and other town business owners argue that if the tourists hear about shark attacks and aren’t allowed to swim on Amity beaches, the tourists will take their money elsewhere, ultimately putting the island in financial ruin for the rest of the year. The story doesn’t explicitly discuss religion, but it does touch on the supposed nature of sharks and compares them to the face of evil. The plot explores the notions of nature vs. man, technology, and money;

Foul Language:

10 lighter obscenities and 11 instances of profanities or using the lords name in vain;

Violence:

Significant violence and gore from shark attack scenes – one teenager is attacked at the beginning in the water, but no gore shown. Her body is found on the beach, mangled and covered in crabs. A boy is attacked, dragged under, and killed off the beach with lots of blood. The shark attacks the boat multiple times: Hooper is attacked in a shark cage underwater, Quint is violently attacked and eaten by the shark, and Chief Brody is attacked on the boat;

Sex:

No sex is shown, however there is one scene in the beginning that implies teenagers are going skinny dipping. Some additional mild sexual suggestions in conversations;

Nudity:

No actual nudity is shown. One scene where a two teenagers go skinny dipping in the ocean, but their bodies are obscured by darkness and shadow;

Alcohol Use:

Alcohol, drunkenness is depicted in several scenes;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

Smoking is shown, as well as teenagers briefly shown smoking marijuana; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

The town business owners and especially the major show a level of greed that continues to put beachgoers, and especially children at risk by pressuring the keep beaches open. However, they do eventually come around and do the right thing, once public opinion turns on them.

More Detail:

With a moral worldview, JAWS explores the dangers of the ocean, which contrasts with the simplicity of an ideal beach location and the dream of an American summer in the 1970s. It showcases the intricacies of nature versus man, technology, and money through violent shark attacks and graphic gore. The quintessential summer blockbuster, Jaws remains one of the great classics in film history, with cutting-edge filmmaking for its time, solidifying Steven Spielberg’s legendary status.

The film begins with teenagers at a bonfire on the beach at sunset, drinking and smoking marijuana. A drunk couple runs off to skinny dip on the beach (no nudity shown, just implied). While she is waiting in the water, she is violently pulled under with ominous music playing. The next morning, the new chief of police, Martin Brody, had recently relocated from New York City to Amity Island with his wife and two boys in search of a safer lifestyle. This sleepy beach town in New England is preparing for the biggest week of the year: Fourth of July.

Chief Brody’s day starts with the reported body of a teenage girl found on the beach, mangled and covered with crabs. Deciding it was a shark attack, Brody closes the beach – an unprecedented move, but necessary. He is immediately cornered and threatened by the Major and other town business owners. They argue that if the tourists hear about shark attacks and aren’t allowed to swim on Amity beaches, the tourists will take their money elsewhere, ultimately putting the island in financial ruin for the rest of the year. They pressure Brody to keep the beaches open and news of the body quiet for the best interest of the town’s economic stability.

Racked with guilt and obvious concern, Brody watches the swimmers on the beach, knowing the danger that lurks in the water. Ironically, Brody already had a fear of the ocean and was known for not going in the water. A boy swimming is violently attacked and eaten by a shark, in full view of the crowd. Panic ensues, and the town demands that the shark be killed, and a reward is posted for proof. The deceased boy’s mother publicly shames Brody for allowing her son to be killed when he knew of the danger and did nothing. Brody hires Hooper, an oceanographer, to help him better understand the issue and devise a solution.

This iconic classic film remains wildly entertaining, despite many cultural changes that have occurred since its release, such as the decline of smoking cigarettes. However, the struggles of public safety over politics/safety still ring ominously true today. As the quintessential summer blockbuster, JAWS truly captures the essence of the idealistic American beach vacation with a profound sense of dread, courtesy of the iconic music score that has captivated and haunted audiences for decades.

The making of this film is legendary and full of mishaps, almost as interesting as the film itself. The effects were groundbreaking for their time, such as the massive prop-shark affectionately named “Bruce”. Overall, this film remains timeless, iconic, and quotable – arguably one of the most memorable movies ever made.

JAWS contains a moral worldview with a strong sense of justice in the face of economic and political pressures, as well as a strong biblical worldview with redemptive elements that promote heroism, bravery, and sacrifice. However, it also contains a Humanist worldview, as the Mayor and other town business owners argue that if tourists hear about shark attacks and aren’t allowed to swim on Amity beaches, they will take their money elsewhere, ultimately putting the island in financial ruin for the rest of the year. The plot explores the concepts of nature versus humanity, technology, and wealth. Some crude language, smoking, brief marijuana use, violent shark attacks of children and adults, and bloody gore (bodies, limbs, blood, gore, etc.) depicted. Extreme caution is advised for teenagers and adults.