In 1975, a single film changed Hollywood forever.
Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, has been ranked among the best movies of all time by Rotten Tomatoes, further cementing its legacy as one of the most influential films ever made.
The film, based on the book of the same name by Peter Benchley, is set in the fictional beach town of Amity Island, the film follows police chief Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider, as he teams up with a marine biologist and a seasoned shark hunter to track down a massive great white shark terrorizing the community. What unfolds is a suspense-driven story that blends horror, adventure and character drama.
“The first thing I told Peter Benchley was I didn’t see any room in this adventure for the affair between Ellen Brody, the wife of the chief of police, and the ichthyologist,” said Spielberg in an interview for Vanity Fair.
“That was like a Peyton Place scandal that I didn’t feel had any place in the kind of movie I wanted to make. But I was mostly intrigued and swept away by Peter Benchley’s enormous storytelling skills in the rest of the novel, with a sea-hunt survivors adventure. That’s what I wanted to focus on—and I wanted to get there without having to deal with the nonessential peccadilloes going on in a town without pity. So, the affair never really made it even into the early script that Peter Benchley wrote.”
Upon its release, Jaws became the first true summer blockbuster, drawing massive audiences and setting a new standard for wide theatrical releases. Its success reshaped the film industry, proving that a single movie could dominate the box office and capture the cultural conversation.
““I was naive about the ocean, basically. I was pretty naive about mother nature and the hubris of a filmmaker who thinks he can conquer the elements was foolhardy, but I was too young to know I was being foolhardy when I demanded that we shoot the film in the Atlantic Ocean and not in a North Hollywood tank,” Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly. “But had I to do it all over again I would have gone back to the sea because it was the only way for the audience to feel that these three men were cast adrift with a great white shark hunting them.”
The film’s tension-filled storytelling was amplified by its now-iconic score from composer John Williams, whose two-note motif became instantly recognizable. Combined with Spielberg’s direction, the film created a sense of suspense that has influenced generations of filmmakers.
Beyond its box office success, Jaws has remained a critical favorite for decades, frequently appearing on lists of the greatest films ever made. Its impact can still be felt in modern thrillers and blockbuster filmmaking alike.
More than 50 years later, Jaws continues to resonate, not just as a thrilling story, but as a landmark moment in cinema history that forever changed how movies are made and experienced.
Related: 1977 Hit Ranked Among ‘Best Movies of All Time’
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.