JAWS Returns: Spielberg’s Classic Still Bites After 50 Years

“Martin hates boats. Martin hates water. Martin… Martin sits in his car when we go on the ferry to the mainland. I guess it’s a childhood thing. There’s a clinical name for it, isn’t there?”

“Drowning.”

That exchange, one of many small but sharp moments of character building in JAWS, still earned chuckles and nods Monday night at Cowley Cinema 8, where Steven Spielberg’s 1975 thriller returned to the big screen in a stunning 4K restoration to mark its 50th anniversary.

It was my first time experiencing JAWS in a theater, but for my mom, it was her second—her first being opening weekend back in June of 1975. Seeing it together, five decades later, was a reminder of why this film has never really left us.

So much has already been said and written about JAWS—the godfather of the “summer blockbuster”—that it’s nearly impossible to add anything new. And yet, watching it projected larger than life, it becomes immediately clear why it still works today, and why audiences keep coming back.

Set in the quiet New England resort town of Amity Island, the story follows Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), who joins forces with the brainy oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and the grizzled shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) after a series of gruesome shark attacks threaten the town’s Fourth of July weekend.

What makes JAWS so enduring isn’t just the shark—it’s the people. Spielberg’s trio is one of the finest casts he’s ever assembled, a bold statement considering this is the director who later gave us Indiana Jones and the unforgettable ensemble of Jurassic Park. Their banter, conflicts, and camaraderie give the film its heart, and when the action hits, it matters because the characters matter.

Visually, the film remains a marvel. Spielberg’s framing and use of practical effects keep the suspense alive in ways today’s CGI-heavy blockbusters rarely match. John Williams’ legendary score is just as pulse-pounding as ever—by turns playful, ominous, and triumphant.

The return of JAWS feels especially fitting in 2025, a year when audiences have been rewarding original filmmaking again with hits like F1, Sinners, Weapons, and K-Pop Demon Hunters. Spielberg’s shark tale stands as a reminder of where the modern blockbuster began—and how it can still be done with style, substance, and soul.

Fifty years later, JAWS remains a masterpiece of suspense and storytelling. If you get the chance to see it on the big screen, take it. The water’s fine—just don’t look down.