What makes Steven Spielberg’s 'Jaws' so enduring?

I’m Joe Cianciotto, and I absolutely love movies. One of my favorite genres is horror, which I developed a taste for relatively late in my life. And with the genre experiencing a Renaissance of sorts these past few years, it’s easy to forget the film that ushered in the modern age of the horror blockbuster – Steven Spielberg’s "Jaws." While there were other horror masterpieces in the modern era, such as "The Exorcist," "Halloween," "A Nightmare on Elm Street," and "Friday the 13th," "Jaws” was different. Not only was it a horror film, it was also the first summer blockbuster. It was the movie that showed how horror films can also rake in the cash. Moreover, "Jaws" was Steven Spielberg’s first major hit, and what a hit it was. Today, over 40 years later, “Jaws” still stands as not just one of the greatest horror films ever made, but one of the best movies of all-time. It definitely is the best shark movie I’ve ever seen, by far.

The story, one about a rogue shark terrorizing the busy summer waters of a small picturesque town, is engaging and relatable enough to get all of us interested. And how Spielberg turns the genre on its head by having an incredibly flawed team of hunters go after the shark just pushes the envelope further. Even by today’s filmmaking standards, "Jaws" exerts superiority. And perhaps we can all expect that it still will 40 years from now. This is Joe Cianciotto, signing out. Hi, the name’s Joe Cianciotto, and I’m a San Francisco Bay Area-based architect. I like to write about buildings, new gadgets, and movie blockbusters. Follow me on Twitter for similar updates.