Jaws

PG | 2h 4 m | Adventure/Thriller

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

Jaws, the tale of a monstrous great white with a taste for humans, delivers more than just two hours of terror: “It’s been universally acknowledged that this particular film heralded the new era of blockbuster filmmaking,” Cinephilia & Beyond says. 

The first film to earn $100 million at the U.S. box office in 1975, it redefined Hollywood’s practices, thrilled audiences, accelerated scientific studies about the notorious fish famous for unprovoked attacks—and made Steven Spielberg a household name. 

Critics have noted that the shark, one of the greatest villains in cinematic history, only appears on screen for about 4 minutes. 

“The last hour of Jaws becomes as gripping and terrifying an adventure story as has ever been put on the screen,” Hollywood Reporter says.

“The film is still best appreciated on the big screen,” adds The Forward. “It remains a brilliant piece of filmmaking, and its plotlines and images continue to be analyzed to this day by critics.”