Jaws: 50th Anniversary Edition - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

As our own Mr. Duarte already wrote such excellent coverage of Jaws on Blu-ray and on 4K UHD, I can’t really add anything to the lot. Like so many other fans out there, I was terrified by this film - to the point I was afraid to swim in our above-ground pool in the middle of rural Michigan as a child. I’d seen the sequels long before I’d ever watched the original. I knew that shark well. But I still remember the tension and feeling the adrenaline pumping while watching this classic film on a small television screen from a VHS tape for the very first time. Now here we are all these years later. We get to enjoy it fully restored in 2160p with either Atmos or mono audio and loaded with extra features and experience the terror all over again.

Here’s what Mr. Duarate had to say in his original Blu-ray review: 

'Jaws' marks a major and significantly momentous point in the history of cinema and filmmaking, whether as a general movie-going experience or as an interest for academic study. Definitely the most obvious aspect of its legacy is that it introduced Steven Spielberg to the world and made him, who at the time was still only 28-years-old, into a household name. The film doesn't exactly illustrate a particular style that's uniquely his — that's to come years later with 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,' which evolved into a distinctively refined aesthetic in 'Schindler's List' and 'Munich' — but it's one hell of a prelude of things to come from such a young filmmaker. The 1975 horror thriller shows skill, polish, and efficiency, delivering the sort of terrifying, visceral punch we expect from movies but rarely attain. And to this day, just shy of its 40th anniversary, it remains one of the greatest, most effective suspense films ever made.

That skill and polish is significant because the simple story of hunting a man-eating great white shark terrorizing a small beach-town resort is exactly that, very simple. The idea, which in effect ushered in the era of bankable "high-concept" premises, is typical of the sort of material commonly seen in low-budget B-movies, a creature-feature of the Exploitation variety which major studios would normally pass on to smaller independent production companies. The filmmakers took a schlock-quality concept and brought it to the level of mainstream acceptability, a brilliant masterpiece and spectacle of fear. Basically, Spielberg's first box-office smash also left a permanent mark in the world of Exploitation Cinema by making B-grade material accessible to a wider audience, opening doors for movies like George Lucas' 'Star Wars' and Ridley Scott's 'Alien.'

Of course the film, based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name, overcomes much of the plot's B-level sentimentality by populating it with a great assortment of characters portrayed by an excellent cast of actors. Without a doubt, the most memorable is Robert Shaw as the experienced shark hunter Quint, a man with such a cold, hard exterior it's surprising Shaw makes him as lovable and heroic as he does. Richard Dreyfuss brings a winsome, affable personality to the privileged scientist, a conventional persona of B-genre he makes into his own. And Roy Scheider's police chief Brody is just as unforgettable, a city outsider forced to confront his fear of water. One of the more remarkable scenes, and there are quite a few in this horror classic, is the drunk chat between the three just before the shark attacks their boat.

The portrayals of each actor are already believable prior to this, but the jovial conversation transforms them into living, breathing human beings — men we feel closer to just as they're about to enter a life-threatening battle. I particularly enjoy the moment when Schneider pulls down his shirt while Dreyfuss and Shaw bond by sharing ocean-related wounds. He's either hiding some unseen scar which is the source of his fear, or he's suddenly feeling embarrassed for his phobia because he has no scars, and therefore no reason to fear the water like the other two. I believe the latter to be the more likely, and that simple gesture adds a greater depth to his personality. It's this sort of intelligence writhing beneath the horror which elevates the narrative beyond schlock. Taken even further, if we read deeper into the story, the "man vs. nature" aspect of the plot works as a response to the hippie counterculture's message of living as one with nature. 'Jaws' is a successful reminder of the hidden dangers lurking underneath its majestic beauty.

On a cinematic scale, Spielberg's film is a defining moment in the history of motion pictures, unexpectedly inaugurating the summer blockbuster approach to filmmaking which obviously still continues today. It has forever changed how studios produce and promote movies, with preference and priority to high-concept premises with wide commercial appeal, eventually inviting the attention of major corporations to enter the moviemaking business. With its massive, record-breaking success, 'Jaws' also inadvertently marks the end of the New Hollywood era, that brief period of time when studios were more willing to take a chance on some rather experimental films made with a film-school educated mentality and featuring a variety of countercultural themes. Those short-lived years gave us amazing works like 'Bonnie & Clyde,' 'The French Connection,' 'Taxi Driver,' 'Chinatown,' 'The Godfather Part II,' and so many more, while introducing moviegoers to a long list of actors, directors and cinematographers. Although studios didn't put an end to the era right away, the shark undeniably had enough of bite to be seen as the beginning of studios refocusing their attention elsewhere.

This is not to imply that 'Jaws' doesn't offer any interesting filmmaking techniques or display any creative methods which impress on the same level of caliber and skill. Spielberg, too, comes from a film-school background and approach, although his career took off before he actually completed his education. The film demonstrates his talent for capturing thrilling action and generating suspense from the most simplistic camera angles and balancing it with poignant, touching drama. It shows he values the photography of Bill Butler and is aware of the importance of John Williams's minimalist score, an iconic theme all unto itself, for building fear and anticipation. But above all else, one of the film's most incredible aspects is the editing. Spielberg worked very closely with Verna Fields to ensure viewers never see too much of the shark, which the crew affectionately named "Bruce," and realize how funnily shoddy it actually looks. Fields only provided short glimpses of the mechanical prop, which in effect allows the mind run wild, filling in the gaps and creating fear purely from our own imagination.

'Jaws' is a genuine masterpiece of suspense and terror, much of it thanks in large part to the editing work of Fields, which makes the film an excellent piece for study. All other areas also come together exceptionally well, from Spielberg's directing, Butler's photography and Williams' iconic theme. To put it more bluntly, it's a remarkable work in the art of horror — simple, efficient and just as effective today as ever. It's an important and significant piece in the history of cinema offering a great deal to discuss and analyze, but we'll leave it for now as a motion picture that should continue being cherished by future generations of film-lovers everywhere.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Jaws sinks its teeth into its 50th Anniversary with a new three-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Set from Universal and SDS. The 4K is the same BD100 disc from 2020. The 1080p disc is the same from 2012 - only with slightly different disc art. Added to the mix is a BD25 disc offering the new documentary Jaws @ 50. The included digital code is Movies Anywhere compatible and will port to all connected services. Looking at my own digital copy on Fandango Now, this new documentary has been added to the streaming bonus features package. 

As the disc is the same as before, I’ll leave Mr. Duarte’s thoughts stand.

The classic summer blockbuster swims to the shores of Ultra HD with a spectacularly handsome HEVC H.265 encode, giving fans everywhere a notable step-up over previous Blu-ray releases. 

Coming from the same restoration efforts done a few years ago, the original 35mm camera negatives have been remastered to a brand-new 4K digital intermediate, and the results are nothing short of marvelous. Naturally, the native 4K transfer still shows a few age-related issues, like a couple soft scenes here and there, but on the whole, the 2160p picture displays sharper, more distinct definition in the hair and clothing of the cast, revealing the tiny wrinkles and pores in the faces of actors. We can plainly make out the smallest detail and object in Quint's boat, from the scratches and imperfections on the wood to the bottles and fishing tools hanging along the walls. 

Contrast and brightness enjoy a generous boost, making the daylight exteriors really pop with stunningly intense whites in the clouds while blacks are richer and inkier. Meanwhile, specular highlights add a dazzling shimmer in the water, a glistening polish along metallic surfaces and a slimier glow to Bruce the Shark. Shadow delineation in the various gradations is excellent, exposing small background objects hiding within the darkest corners, and with a thinly-layered grain structure throughout, the 2.35:1 image comes with a lovely film-like quality.

Likewise, Bill Butler's cinematography benefits from a bolder, livelier color palette, making the entire film appear fresh and rejuvenated. Primaries are more sumptuous and eye-catching in this Dolby Vision HDR presentation, and this is especially true of the red swimming trunks and boats looking more dramatic and animated while the cerulean blue of the sky is more spirited and striking. Better still is the improvement in the secondary hues delivering stronger, more realistic skin tones, particularly the severely tanned Mrs. Taft looking browner while others show rosier, peachier complexions. (Dolby Vision Video Rating: 94/100)

Likewise, we get the same Atmos and DTS-HD MA mono mix as before. Here’s what Mr. Duarte had to say: 

The creature-feature masterpiece has also been upgraded to an excellent Dolby Atmos soundtrack, sure to make fans very happy. It doesn't quite compete with some of the best we've heard from the format or offer a massive jump over its DTS-HD MA predecessor, but it is nonetheless highly enjoyable and satisfying, providing several noteworthy enhancements. The surrounds are often employed with various discrete atmospherics of the beach, ocean and the chatter of tourists flooding Amity. Occasionally, seagulls can be heard randomly flying or screeching overhead, but such are very far and few in between. 

The real win in this object-based track is John Williams's score bleeding fluidly into all the channels, beautifully enveloping the listening area and delivering a wonderfully immersive aural experience. Maintaining a very much front-heavy presentation, the iconic motif spreads across the top heights to create an awesome half-dome wall of sound while also exhibiting clean differentiation between the few instruments used in his orchestration. Dynamic range is sharply rendered and detailed, nicely separating the mids from the highs with extraordinary clarity. Just as in the lossless mix, channel separation is well-balanced, delivering many off-screen effects with smooth panning and generating a terrifically warm and convincing image while dialogue reproduction is precise and intelligible with superb emotive intonation. The low-end isn't particularly powerful, but it can be quite potent at times and thrillingly effective nonetheless. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 88/100)

Also included is the same excellent restored DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track provided for the 2012 Blu-ray release. 

On the 4K disc and the included Blu-ray, all of those bonus features are identical. They have not been changed. Same extras, same menus - all of it. The big difference here is the inclusion of the third disc for Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. 

This new documentary is something of an amalgam of brand-new interviews and archival materials. We get new sit-downs with Spielberg, various cast members like Jonathan Filley, and some of the children in the film (now adults, obviously), along with personalities like writer/actor Carl Gottlieb, production designer Joe Alves, along with author Peter Benchley’s widow and children. We also get contemporary filmmakers like Jordan Peele, Steven Soderbergh, and actress Emily Blunt chiming in along with various shark researchers and scientists. Interspersed with their comments are some soundbites and cutaways from some of the older documentaries and archival behind-the-scenes footage. Overall, this is a very good documentary that neatly sums up the extensive history of this film, the making of it, and its impact 50 years later. That said, there’s not really anything we didn’t already know presented here. We’ve heard a number of the history stories before, but it’s still exciting to hear them again. In fact, that’s the reason to enjoy the doc, just the simple excitement from all the people who love this film. 

4K UHD & Blu-ray 

• The Making of Jaws 
• The Shark Is still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws 
• From the Set 
• Jaws: The Restoration 
• Jaws Archives 
• Deleted Scenes & Outtakes 
• Trailers

Bonus Blu-ray

• Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (HD 1:28:03)

Jaws is a genuine icon of cinema. Fifty years later this film is just as thrilling and exciting as it was when it first hit theater screens. Five decades and it is still terrifying audiences. It still terrifies me and I’ve seen it hundreds of times and I’m sure I’ll see it a few hundred more before my time on this planet is done. Now thanks to Universal and SDS, we have another 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray physical media release to check out to help celebrate the film’s 50th Anniversary. Ultimately, this set is for folks who didn’t already own this film in 2160p. The 4K disc is the same. The 1080p disc is the same. The only difference now is a third disc dedicated to the new documentary - which is fantastic - but maybe not enough to make another purchase worth the price. Especially if you own the film digitally that documentary is now in that selection of extra features. Regardless of questions of necessity, I still have to call this a Highly Recommended set. One of the best films ever made gets a terrific A/V package with plenty of extra features and about 90 minutes of new content to sink your teeth into.