Blu-Ray Review - Jaws (1975)

The Film:

1975 was one of those years that just seemed in retrospect to be earmarked for the history books though no one could've ever predicted that for sure.

Though one of those moments of history became divisive the other became a phenomenon and that was the release of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, based on the bestselling novel by Peter Benchley (who also helped co-author the script) the story told of a great white shark that stalked and killed innocent people in the waters off a small coastal town called Amity and the efforts of three men (Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw) to stop it cause that shark would swallow you whole.

Its also hard to imagine the impact the film has had over the years since its original release not only on critics and film fans but also on nearly an entire generation of filmgoers that saw it in its initial release and became inspired to enter the business as a result, the only other film to have had a similar impact was George Lucas's 1977 juggernaut Star Wars which sprang from the seeds that Jaws's success planted.

The Image:

Jaws underwent an extensive restoration process for this new Blu-Ray release and Spielberg himself gave this new transfer his seal of approval and honestly who can blame him for doing so, this is a fantastic restoration and it really highlights the reality the film presents and its a reality that while I watched this film I kinda missed as so many films now are computer generated and as a result have an artificial look to them which you never can quite get out of your mind but here everything seems real and refreshing from the sands of the beach to the waves of the water.

The Sound:

The sound comes in a new 7.1 DTS-HD mix and the original 1975 mix preserved in a DTS-HD 2.0 mix, the 7.1 mix sounds fantastic, very clean and clear and also very balanced between the music and sound and the dialogue (sometimes some HD mixes have the dialogue scenes very low and the music and sound effects very loud) and it's just so refreshing to hear this film in this way as it makes you feel like your seeing it for the first time all over again.

The 2.0 Mix is the original mix from 1975 and while its somewhat clearer to hear the background dialogue and other sounds, it also feels very cluttered when compared with the new 7.1 mix but still I'm very happy that the original mix is on this disc.

The Extras:

There are a number of extras on this Blu-Ray release but first I must say that this release comes in a beautiful book like packaging that also has a medium sized booklet at the back of the case with bios, production notes, photos, storyboards and posters comprising its pages, will be a real treat for big fans of the film.

With that out of the way, lets dive into the on disc extras

Documentary - The Shark is Still Working - The Impact and Legacy of Jaws: Talked about for some years, this 2007 produced doco finally sees the light of day on this release and its well done with many interviews from cast and crew as well as fans and future filmmakers who were inspired by the film to enter the business themselves (some of those include Kevin Smith, Bryan Singer and Robert Rodriguez), for a fan made documentary this is very impressive and well worth a look.

Documentary - The Making of Jaws: Created for the 1995 20th anniversary laserdisc release of the film (a release that Bryan Singer liked more than the initial DVD release of the film in 2000) this 2 hour documentary covers just about every aspect of the film's creation with nearly everyone involved, its a thorough look at the making of a classic and it should not be missed.

Featurette - Jaws the Restoration: Probably my favorite extra on this set is a look at how the new restoration for Jaws was created and it is a fascinating watch, showing us some of the un restored scenes, how the film was cleaned up, how the new sound mix was created and even a few comments on the heritage of film from Spielberg himself, a great watch.

Featurette - From the Set: A Vintage featurette from the film's shoot in 1974 hosted by Iain Johnstone, it looks at the shoot and has comments from a VERY young Spielberg, recommended.

The Jaws Archives: 4 big still galleries covering Storyboards, Production Photos, Marketing and the Jaws Phenomenon, again a lot of ground is covered in these galleries though the last 2 galleries were more interesting for me and there's fun stuff to be found in the last, especially letters from Spielberg to Lucas and a fun drawing by Chuck Jones.

Deleted Scenes and Outtakes: A selection of Deleted Scenes and a 90 minute reel of Outtakes comprise this section, all are played in one stretch instead of just selecting the deleted scenes and outtakes separately in their own menu, some good stuff here but like the majority of deleted scenes they're best left out.

Theatrical Trailer: "It is as if God created the Devil and gave him... Jaws" says the ominous voiceover at the beginning of this trailer which are sadly becoming a rarity on disc releases these days and its very nice to see the trailer for this movie on the disc.

The Verdict:

If you're a fan of Jaws, you have to buy this release, a terrific restoration and a truly comprehensive selection of extras that not only cover just about anything you could ever want on the making of the film and its legacy but also don't bore you while you're watching them.