Jaws

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1:24

Jaws

PG

Released Jun 20, 1975

2h 4m

Holiday

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

169 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled ship captain Quint (Robert Shaw) offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature.

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Critics Consensus

Compelling, well-crafted storytelling and a judicious sense of terror ensure Steven Spielberg's Jaws has remained a benchmark in the art of delivering modern blockbuster thrills.

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Kat Sachs

Chicago Reader

Infinitely watchable...

Oct 24, 2024

Full Review

Molly Haskell

Village Voice

It is a thriller, according to the classic distinction, of surprise rather than suspense. You feel like a rat, being given shock treatment, who has not yet figured out what to do to call off the buzzers.

Jul 2, 2024

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Toronto Star

Most movies that come within a mile of this one's technical expertise hardly bother with such matters as logical human motivations, strong and unhammy acting and believable characters. Jaws, on the contrary, is rich in all of these.

Jul 2, 2024

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

This film is great at portraying a known, but not fully respected actual killing machine. But what makes the movie great is the skill of the direction, and the great acting of the principle cast.

Rated: 10/10

Sep 18, 2025

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Glen Weldon

Pop Culture Happy Hour (NPR Podcast)

This film changed the culture. It changed movies. It also changed individual people's lives.

Sep 4, 2025

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Stephen Thompson

Pop Culture Happy Hour (NPR Podcast)

The only way that this film feels in any way degraded by 50 years is in some of the kind of cheapness of some of the effects. But the film is so well made in every other way, and so restrained in the way it's telling this story.

Sep 4, 2025

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Susan S

Still a great movie!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/25

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Cheyenne

The 3D aspect was perfect. It made you feel suspense being in the water with the victims.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/26/25

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Count Slothula

Big shark that is hungry. One of my favourites hits the big screen again and looked absolutely amazing. When I would visit my Nana, she had 2 things recorded from TV to VHS that I would watch. And yes, you guessed it. One of them was Jaws complete with 80's commercials. I always wonder what happened to that VHS, and yeah of course it ruined the sea for me. Didn't it ruin it for you?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/18/25

Full Review

Linda

Loved that it really wrapped up the series, and was quite entertaining with a unique plot. I loved it and will probably see it again. The period pieces with the costumes and settings are really spectacular.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/16/25

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Sinclaire

classic film. mom was able to see it when it came out in theaters and again after 50 years.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/15/25

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Christine T

Will forever be the best movie. I absolutely loved seeing it on the big screen!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/15/25

Full Review

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Steven Spielberg

Director

Roy Scheider

Police Chief Martin Brody

Robert Shaw

Quint

Richard Dreyfuss

Matt Hooper

Lorraine Gary

Ellen Brody

Murray Hamilton

Mayor Larry Vaughn

Movieclips: John Williams: 11 Incredible Themes

27:14

Jaws: Official Clip - Scars

2:51

Jaws: Official Clip - Brody Kills the Beast

3:00

Jaws: Official Clip - Hooper in the Cage

2:42

Jaws: Official Clip - Barrels

3:00

Jaws: Official Clip - You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

1:26

Jaws: Official Clip - Quint Is Devoured

1:07

Jaws: Official Clip - The Indianapolis Speech

3:35

Jaws: Official Clip - Get Out of the Water

2:54

Jaws: Official Clip - Chrissie's Last Swim

2:37

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10%

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Synopsis

When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled ship captain Quint (Robert Shaw) offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature.

Director: Steven Spielberg
Producer: David Brown, Richard D. Zanuck
Screenwriter: Peter Benchley, Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, Howard Sackler, John Milius, Robert Shaw
Distributor: Universal Pictures, DiscoVision
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Zanuck/Brown Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Holiday, Mystery & Thriller, Horror, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 1975, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 29, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 22, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $286.5M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Mono, CDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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