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Is there any better movie than Jaws? Sure, you could name The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, or any other movie for that matter, but for my money, if Jaws is on TV, then I’ll watch it every single time.
Well, given that the movie is celebrating its 50th anniversary, I actually got to see Jaws on the big screen for the first time, and let me tell you, it was something else. Because even though I’ve seen the movie on countless occasions (I’ve even watched the middling sequels), there’s just something about seeing what’s often called “the first blockbuster” on the big screen that makes it even more special.
But why is it more special watching it on a big screen? Well, you’re about to find out.
First Off, I’m Used To Jaws Being A Small Film Since I’ve Only Watched It On A Television
You know what’s crazy? I’m used to Jaws being a small movie. What I mean is, I’ve never seen it on a big screen. And, when I say a “big screen,” I don’t mean at the movies. I mean, I’ve never seen it on a “big screen” TV. I’ve only seen it on relatively small screens. For instance, the last time I watched it was on my flight to Japan, to which I viewed it on the back of somebody else’s headrest.
And let me tell you. Given the tiny earplugs they give you, I couldn’t even hear the movie. Thankfully, I’m so familiar with the film that I didn’t need to hear it to know what was going on. But it’s criminal not to be able to experience that great scene with Robert Shaw talking about his character being stalked by sharks. I mean, when I watched it on the plane, it didn’t even have any subtitle option!
But seeing it on the big screen changed all of that. For one thing, I went to a closed caption screening (since I’m one of those people who always uses subtitles), so I even got to read Quint’s haunting USS Indianapolis story. It’s also just so much more potent on a big screen.
In fact, the story itself felt larger, too. Like I said earlier, the Jaws movies kind of always felt small to me, but, like Star Wars, Jaws can work on a small screen, sure, but it’s SO MUCH BETTER on a big screen, because it makes this story feel huge. It’s now going to be hard for me to go back to watching Jaws on a tiny screen again, but I guess I’ll manage.
The Sea Is So Much Larger (And Scarier!) On The Big Screen
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I can’t swim. So, if you can imagine that a pool is scary to me, just think about how I feel around the ocean. I feel powerless! Utterly and completely powerless. And that’s just standing in it. I haven’t even mentioned my thalassophobia, which is the fear of deep bodies of water. I’m afraid of what’s in the ocean, as anything could be down there (so don’t even bother asking me to play Subtautica. That game will literally give me nightmares).
Which is another thing! I’ve watched Jaws so many times, but I never found it scary. I know it’s one of the few horror movies to be nominated for Best Picture, but I was never actually bothered by it…until, that is, I saw it on the big screen. And now I understand!
It’s because the ocean feels so vast – so unconquerable! – on the big screen. I’ve been on boats before, and I’m usually not too unnerved by them, but Jaws’s expansive ocean on the big screen unnerves the hell out of me because I KNOW there’s a killer shark living beneath its surface. This directly taps into my thalassophobia, as seeing it on the big screen really gives me the impression of just how immense (and scary!) the ocean is.
Which is something you just don’t feel on a small screen. So, seeing it in the movie theater actually made a movie that I’ve seen several times scary for me. Imagine that!
Plus, The Characters Are Larger Than Life Now
Very few movies have characters as good as Jaws does. Yes, there really aren’t that many of them, but Matt Hooper, Chief Brody, Quint, and even the Mayor who refuses to close the beach are all phenomenal characters. I’ve always thought so. They just seem so real to me, even though they all feel a little outlandish. My son even calls Richard Dreyfuss’s character, “the silly man,” for all of his rash decisions.
I never really envisioned them as being larger than life, however. Seeing them on my television has always made them feel like they were stuck in these tiny spaces. For example, whenever they’re on The Orca, they seem so cramped and confined. But, on the big screen, they seem like giants. Especially Quint. As soon as you see him eating chips in the corner of the room, he seems to take up the entire space.
Even all of the kids and people who are lying on the beach, afraid to go into the water, seem much larger and real to me. And, do you want a real example of how the characters feel much larger on the big screen for me? Well, you know that famous jumpscare? I’ve seen it several times, and it doesn’t scare me anymore. However, it scared me this time! It’s mostly because of Hooper’s reaction on that massive screen.
All of it. All of it just works so much better at the theater, and the characters are much better on this screen than my smaller one at home. The characters aren’t the only ones who are bigger.
Bruce Is Bigger, Too!
If you know anything about Jaws, you likely know that the mechanical shark that was used in the movie is nicknamed Bruce. Apparently, it was named after Spielberg’s lawyer, and the name just stuck.
Well, like everything else I’ve mentioned so far, I never really found Bruce scary. I will say that the best moments of the film were always the ones where you didn’t see him, as just imagining him was scary enough. When he did eventually emerge from the ocean, he certainly made his presence felt.
That said, Bruce was always the weakest aspect of the film whenever I watched Jaws on TV. That scene toward the end, where Bruce is literally on top of The Orca, and everybody is sliding toward his mouth, was always just ridiculous to me. That moment (Despite the tragic death of Quint) is still the weakest moment of the film for me, big screen notwithstanding.
However, all the other moments that I never really loved with Bruce I liked a lot more when seeing it in the theater. Like when Hooper is in the shark cage, and Bruce is coming right for him. That scene is horrifying on the big screen! Or when they’re trying to attach the barrels to Bruce, and his enormous fin is dragging them along. All of these moments are more terrifying on the big screen.
In fact, the best thing about the movie might have just been seeing it with a crowd of people, as I’ve never done that before. It really was something else. So, here’s to another 50 years!
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