SHARKS BITE BACK

As Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ celebrates its 50th anniversary, Olivia Petter examines the impact the film had on the fish and misconceptions around these so-called beasts of the sea

- Olivia Petter

It’s easy to create a villain. Two notes, some clever camera work, and a lingering sense of dread were all it took to hard launch a monster into the ocean, one who tears bodies limb from limb, swallows children and animals whole, and has the capacity to turn seawater crimson within seconds.

Jaws was always about a lot more than sharks. For cinephiles who cite it as one of the greatest pieces of modern cinema, it was about moral corruption, fractured masculinity, and a new frontier in the sheer magnitude of what film could convey.

However, as Steven Spielberg's masterpiece turns 50, for many, its legacy remains inexorably tied to the 25-foot great white at its centre, as illustrated in a new National Geographic documentary tied to the anniversary, Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story.

The film features interviews with Spielberg himself and a roster of Hollywood legends, including James Cameron, Jordan Peele, George Lucas, Guillermo del Toro, JJ Abrams, Emily Blunt and Steven Soderbergh, talking about how Jaws shaped their creative lives. There's also a roster of shark scientists explaining how, despite the initial scares it invoked, Jaws wound up doing more good than harm for sharks. But we'll get to that.

First, a recap of the plot. Based on Peter Benchley's bestselling novel of the same name, Jaws tells the story of a deadly shark that viciously rips its way through a fictional US seaside town, Amity Island, and follows the locals' attempts to find and kill it. But this wasn't just your average predator. This shark had a human thirst for vengeance, specifically going after those who'd tried to harm it.