History YMMV / Jaws

%%ZCE* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:Captain Quint.]]

* IAmNotShazam: ''Jaws'' is not the name of the shark. It had no name, unless you count [[ProductionNickname Bruce]]. On official merchandise or film articles, it is usually referred to as "The shark from ''Jaws''" or occasionally "The Great White Menace from ''Jaws''". Peter Benchley's name for the creature was "The Great Fish" or simply "The Fish."

* JerkassWoobie: Quint might be a brash, unpleasant guy. But the monologue scene shows the reason why he's that way, as going to the war, seeing your ship get sunk, and then sharks attacking the survivors would traumatize and change anyone.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The mayor isn't ''completely'' wrong that news of a shark could ruin the town -- all "summer tourist" towns are extremely dependent on seasonal income. Also, his refusal to cut open the shark, possibly spilling the remains of its latest victim (a young child), is fairly sensible, especially with the victim's mother possibly in the area. Why they couldn't both agree to wait until everyone left and cut it open late at night (what Brody and Hooper do ''anyway'') is anyone's guess. On the other hand, he did let the killing of ''one'' shark erupt into a media frenzy and declare mission accomplished ''without'' making sure it was even the right shark in the ''first place'', which is why Brody and Hooper even wanted to cut the shark open.

* VindicatedByHistory: An odd trope for one of the most financially and critically successful films of all time, but if you grew up in the 80s, the mantra of "the shark looks fake!" would have rung continuously through your ears to the point that you could only agree. Except now, a slew of Gen Z Youtube reactors seeing the film for the first time, their minds keyed to decades of cheap CGI sharks, have been genuinely impressed by the practical effects used to create it.

** Creator/RichardDreyfuss stated that Spielberg looped the screams of the opening sequence by diving Susan Backlinie's head into a water bucket -- [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding what's torture today.]]

** Ms. Kintner when she slaps Chief Brody. Technically, she was also on the beach when her son dies, but her confrontation with Brody is unforgettable.

%%* SignatureLine: "You're gonna need a bigger boat". Why is it famous?

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The mayor isn't ''completely'' wrong that news of a shark could ruin the town -- all "summer tourist" towns are extremely dependent on seasonal income. He's extremely wrong, however, in the degree to which he ignores the evidence. Also, his refusal to cut open the shark, possibly spilling the remains of its latest victim (a young child), is completely right. Why they couldn't both agree to wait until everyone left and cut it open late at night (what Brody and Hooper do ''anyway'') is anyone's guess. On the other hand, he did let the killing of ''one'' shark erupt into a media frenzy and declare mission accomplished ''without'' making sure it was even the right shark in the ''first place'', which is why Brody and Hooper even wanted to cut the shark open.

%%* JerkassWoobie: Quint, during the monologue scene.

%% * {{Narm}}:
%% ** When Mrs. Kintner confronts Brody and calls him out on allowing people to go to the beach despite knowing of a shark in the water. Her delivery of the line "My boy is dead; I wanted you to know that" has induced chuckles in more than a few moviegoers.

* FanonDiscontinuity: What allows the original movie to be untainted by the sequels.

* OneSceneWonder: Susan Backlinie, in the very first scene. Still [[{{Pun}} jaw]]-droppingly terrifying decades later.

* ParanoiaFuel: You better believe it. Beach attendance noticeably dropped in 1975 because of this movie. Some people were even afraid of swimming pools. And ever since then, promotional materials have billed it as "The film that made you afraid of the water."

* SignatureLine: "You're gonna need a bigger boat".
* SignatureScene: Five of them; the opening death scene, the ''Indianapolis'' monologue, Brody seeing the shark for the first time, [[spoiler:Quint's death]], and the shark's death.

* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:Captain Quint.]]

* AccidentalAesop: Don't go swimming at night in murky water. There are many creatures you can't see who can attack you for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, more than sharks. This is TruthInTelevision; people are advised to not swim at dusk, because that is when nocturnal predators come out.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QTSyLwd4w Da-DUN. Daaaa-DUN.]]'' The shark's {{Leitmotif}} is one of the most famous in film history. It's Music/JohnWilliams, what do you expect?
** Even better when [[spoiler:the [[JumpScare shark pops up out of nowhere]] while Brody is tossing chum behind the boat and the leitmotif ''did not play''. In every scene ''before'' that, the da-dun music kicked in warning the audience that the shark was coming.]]
** Funnily enough, on first hearing the score Spielberg was quite bemused by how minimalist it was, and figured Williams had to be pulling a prank. He ''did'' initially hear it played on a piano, which probably made it sound dinkier than it would with a full orchestra.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z7_BKCscRU&list=PL7v_KFM4xhO35aVJHH3z0MKvU4Y6d3WEm&index=18&t=0s The swashbuckling music]] as the ''Orca'' chases the shark is also pretty cool.
** [[Film/Jaws2 Say what you]] [[Film/Jaws3D will about]] [[Film/JawsTheRevenge the sequels]], but it's generally agreed upon by fans that the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic music was consistently awesome throughout all four movies]] (with Music/JohnWilliams returning in the [[Film/Jaws2 second film]]).

** "You're gonna need a bigger boat."
** "This was no boat accident."
** "Smile, you son of a [[SoundEffectBleep bitch]]!"
** And see SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic above.

** Mentioning the Mayor keeping the Amnityville beaches open is often referred to in response to officials ignoring or downplaying a major disaster because of SkewedPriorities (such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which indeed involved keeping beaches open despite the danger)
** "That is one bad hat, Harry," thanks to the TV company Bad Hat Productions using it as their VanityPlate.

* AccidentalInnuendo: Right as Chrissie is being eaten by the shark in the first scene, the guy she took with her to the deserted beach is almost passed out drunk on the sand, breathing heavily and whispering, "[[CallingYourOrgasms I'm coming... I'm coming...]]" Given that he's wasted and he's chasing a girl, it may be deliberate.
** Invoked by Quint in his jabs at Hopper. Particularly when he's playing solitaire "Stop playing with yourself and come'on".

* HilariousInHindsight: ''Jaws'' [[https://web.archive.org/web/20160120015411/http://what-the-hecky-heck.tumblr.com:80/post/94024594816/i-was-re-reading-jaws-and-found-something predicted]] ''Film/{{Sharknado}}''?

* {{Narm}}: Yes, even a timeless classic like ''Jaws'' has potentially Narm-tastic moments, though it may not be out of the question that some real-life people would sound as awkward in dire situations.
** When Mrs. Kintner confronts Brody and calls him out on allowing people to go to the beach despite knowing of a shark in the water, her tears are ''remarkably'' unconvincing. Her delivery of the line "My boy is dead; I wanted you to know that" has induced chuckles in more than a few moviegoers.
** '''''SHUH-SHARK!! THUR'S A SHARK!! SHARK IN THE POND!! SHARK IN THE ESTUARY!! SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!!''''' Etc, etc.

* {{Narm}}: Yes, even a timeless classic like ''Jaws'' has Narm-tastic moments.

* RootingForTheEmpire: Sometimes happens with the shark. Mostly due to RuleOfCool. The fact that humans annually kill more sharks in real life than the other way around could also have something to do with it.

* GeniusBonus: Quint's boat is named the ''Orca'', after the killer whale. Orca whales are natural enemies of the great white shark.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novel, which was written before the film, was a colossal worldwide bestseller (approx. 20 million copies sold up to 2021), which was the primary reason why Universal was willing to greenlight the movie. Despite this, the movie is more known through popular culture, being a [[AdaptationExpansion unique and highly quotable]] colossal worldwide blockbuster.

** Creator/RobertShaw not getting a nomination for Best Supporting Actor has been known to enrage more than a few cinephiles, with many believing his portrayal should've won the award easily. That year's winner was Creator/GeorgeBurns for ''Theatre/TheSunshineBoys'', certainly a worthy winner but not as iconic or well-remembered as Shaw's performance here.

** Creator/RobertShaw not getting a nomination for Best Supporting Actor has been known to enrage more than a few cinephiles, with many believing his portrayal should've won the award easily.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novel, which was written before the film, was a colossal worldwide bestseller (approx. 20 million copies sold up to 2021), which was the primary reason why Universal was willing to greenlight the movie. Despite this, the movie is arguably much more known through popular culture, being a [[AdaptationExpansion unique and highly quotable]] colossal worldwide blockbuster.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novel, which was written before the film, was a colossal worldwide bestseller (approx. 20 million copies sold up to 2021), which was the primary reason why Universal was willing to greenlight the movie. Despite this, the movie is more known through popular culture, being a [[AdaptationExpansion unique and highly quotable]] colossal worldwide blockbuster.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novel, which was written before the film, was a colossal worldwide bestseller (approx. 20 million copies sold up to 2021), which was the primary reason why Universal was willing to greenlight the movie. Despite this, the movie is more known through popular culture, being a [[AdaptationExpansion unique and highly quotable]] colossal worldwide blockbuster

* HilariousInHindsight: ''Jaws'' [[http://what-the-hecky-heck.tumblr.com/post/94024594816/i-was-re-reading-jaws-and-found-something predicted]] ''Film/{{Sharknado}}''?

* HilariousInHindsight: One of the proposed introductory scenes for Quint had him laughing out loud at ''Film/MobyDick'', displeasing everyone else. The remake of ''Film/CapeFear'' actually featured such a scene.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Hooper is a total {{Jerkass}} in the original book who sleeps with Brody's wife in a subplot that’s [[RomanticPlotTumor boring]] and [[TrappedByMountainLions pointless]]. In the film, he's a much more likable, selfless, and funny character embodied by an excellent performance from Creator/RichardDreyfuss.