Home Movie News Steven Spielberg Thought The Shark In Jaws Looked Dumb

Looking back on Jaws, director Steven Spielberg reveals that, at the time, he recalls thinking that the shark looked more dumb than scary.

Jaws is renowned for the terrifying great white shark at the center of the film, but director Steven Spielberg recalls thinking the creature looked pretty dumb. Released in 1975, Jaws made Spielberg a household name, and the movie is largely considered to be the first summer blockbuster movie ever released. The film follows a local sheriff and a marine biologist as they team up with a rough-around-the-edges captain to hunt the massive shark that’s been terrorizing their Cape Cod community.
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In a recent interview with W Magazine, Spielberg reveals that he actually thought the shark’s appearance in Jaws was rather lackluster. The director recalls being very surprised that the movie was such a hit and that the shark ended up having the effect that it did on audiences. Check out Spielberg’s full comment below:

“I never would have guessed that so many people would have gone to see Jaws. In my mind, the shark looked dumb. When I went to the first preview, in Dallas, and people were screaming and popcorn was flying at the screen, my first feeling was—Oh my god! I didn’t think any of this was going to work. The truth is, you never ever know.”

Related: What Steven Spielberg Thought About The Jaws Sequels

Is Jaws Steven Spielberg’s Best Movie?

Spielberg is one of the most revered directors working in Hollywood today and has, over the course of his decades-long career, crafted a number of hit films. Jaws essentially creates the modern blockbuster and also works as a perfect calling for Spielberg, who proves just what he’s capable of as a filmmaker. Following his massive 1975 success, he would go on to make other hits like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan.

With such an impressive filmography, it’s almost impossible to pick a single best work in Spielberg’s career. The lasting appeal of Spielberg’s Indiana Jones films or the jaw-dropping greatness of Jurassic Park arguably put those works on the same level as Jaws. And both Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, the former a harrowing look at the horrors of the Holocaust and the latter widely considered one of the best war movies ever made, Spielberg explores more serious subject matter, proving he can do more than family-friendly blockbusters.

While crowning it Spielberg’s best work would feel like a disservice to the handful of other genuinely great movies he’s made, there can be no denying that Jaws still stands as a perfect example of the director’s larger filmography. The movie, which features a smaller budget than most of his subsequent movies, proves that, even with more limited resources, the filmmaker can deliver a suspenseful, action-packed, and truly terrifying experience for audiences. While Spielberg may not have been convinced, the shark in Jaws also holds up remarkably well today almost 50 years later.

More: Jaws: How Steven Spielberg’s Multiple Sharks Ending Would Have Ruined The Film

Source: W Magazine