87
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOne of the most effective thrillers ever made.
- 100EmpireIan NathanEmpireIan NathanIt was the complete nightmare that invented the "summer blockbuster", launched the genius on a global scale and delivered an astonishingly effective thriller built on a very primal level: fear.
- 100Entertainment WeeklyTy BurrEntertainment WeeklyTy BurrSteven Spielberg overcame the lumpy plotting of Peter Benchley's novel to create an efficient, graceful fright machine in Jaws.
- 100ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe first is the best. When it comes to this kind of thriller, no movie has been able to top Jaws, although many have tried. And, as the years go by, it seems increasingly unlikely that anything will come close.
- 100CineVueJohn BleasdaleCineVueJohn BleasdaleImportantly, Spielberg instinctively knows exactly when to keep his camera still and allow what's in front of it to take precedence.
- 80The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyIf you think about Jaws for more than 45 seconds you will recognize it as nonsense, but it's the sort of nonsense that can be a good deal of fun, if you like to have the wits scared out of you at irregular intervals.
- 80TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineFrom the outrageously frightening opening--in which a beautiful young woman skinny-dipping in the moonlight is devoured by the unseen shark--to the claustrophobic climax aboard Quint's fishing boat, Spielberg has us in his grip and rarely lets go.
- 75Chicago TribuneGene SiskelChicago TribuneGene SiskelWhat this movie is about, and where it succeeds best, is the primordial level of fear. The characters, for the most part, and the non-fish elements in the story, are comparatively weak and not believable. [20 June 1975]
- 40Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrSteven Spielberg's mechanical thriller is guaranteed to make you scream on schedule (John Williams's score even has the audience reactions programmed into the melodies), particularly if your tolerance for weak motivation and other minor inconsistencies is high.