When it hit screens in 1975, Jaws terrified me. This didn't occur because I saw the movie and found it frightening; no, my eight-year-old self was too scared to even enter the theater. The hype around the film was almost overwhelming, and all of the word of the movie's terrors definitely kept me away from it.

Instead, I chose to read the book. Actually, it was the Reader's Digest abridged edition, but hey - I was eight! Gimme a break! Of course, my young age didn't stop my pretentiousness, as I pompously informed family that I needed quiet - I was reading Jaws!

I enjoyed the book but still couldn't muster the courage to view the film. That breakthrough wouldn't occur until 1978, when the sequel - cleverly titled Jaws 2 - appeared. My friend Kevin and I eagerly greeted it and loved every second of it. In retrospect, it was actually a pretty weak movie, but it deserves some credit for more formally introducing a couple of kids to the wonderful cinematic world of Jaws.

The original film hit theaters as a re-release during the summer of 1979, and I welcomed the chance to see it. Remember, home video was not much of a force in 1979; neither my family nor those of my friends had VCRs, and the availability of titles was limited anyway. Actually, I think Jaws may have been out on tape at the time, but it was a moot point for us.

As such, we children of the Seventies had to wait for either these sporadic theatrical reissues to see older hits, or we had to find them when they finally hit broadcast TV. (Cable was a very minor factor at that time, too.) Today huge successes sometimes reach broadcast TV very quickly, but that wasn't the case back then; it could take many years for some pictures to reach that level. That meant we often had loooong waits to view or rewatch some movies.

(An aside: Although I clearly wouldn't trade the current home video situation for those days, I must admit I miss the "special" quality that became attached to films back then. They were more of an event and seemed more exciting. Of course, part of that stems from the fact I was a kid; everything appears bigger and fresher during that period. Still, movies lost some of their magic when they became a commodity that could be bought at Wal-Mart.)

Nostalgic rant over! I finally got the opportunity to see - not just read - Jaws in the summer of 1979, and I definitely dug it. Because I was a moron, I actually preferred the sequel to the original. Not any more. Not for many years, really. I saw Jaws 2 on TV in the early Nineties and realized how flawed it truly was. In case this impression stemmed from the pan and scan transfer, I rented the letterboxed laserdisc a few years later and felt the same way; Jaws 2 isn't a terrible movie, but it's nothing more than a pale imitation of the original.

Ironically, it was my initial impression of Jaws on home video that led me to give the sequel that second chance. Between the theatrical reissue of Jaws in 1979 and my purchase of its first letterboxed LD in 1992, I'd watched the movie a few times on pan and scan videotape and thought it was kind of dull. In fact, I'd largely ignored the movie for quite some time.

However, my acquisition of an LD player in 1991 changed that. I soon discovered just how much of a difference letterboxing made for some movies; titles like Star Wars and Die Hard had seemed blah on videotape though I'd loved them theatrically. Once I saw the letterboxed LDs, I realized how much of a difference composition made and accordingly gave other films I'd neglected due to boring P&S versions back into my life.

When its letterboxed LD finally appeared in 1992, Jaws was high on that list. I grabbed the LD, loved it, and never looked back. I'm now on my fourth disc-based copy of the movie, but I don't regret a thing; the movie is that special.

Although this attitude may not always come through in my reviews, I really do try to respect alternate viewpoints; one man's skanky tub of goo is another's hot babe. However, there's a limit to tolerance, which leads me to this proclamation: if you think Jaws is less than a masterpiece, you're wrong. And if you go so far as to think that any of its sequels or even the wretched Deep Blue Sea are better shark movies, then you've sacrificed any chance of credibility around these parts, and I may have to kick you in the head.

From 1975 through 1982, Steven Spielberg was unquestionably the greatest filmmaker alive. In that period, he made four absolute classic films: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark and ET the Extraterrestrial. He only faltered in 1979 with the abysmal 1941; the other four movies touched perfection. I won't call E.T. Spielberg's last gasp, as he's clearly made some fine films over the last 23 years, but I think it was the final time he made a truly great movie; some of those that have followed have been very good but flawed.

Don't ask me to rank those four films made between 1975 and 1982, because it's nearly impossible. However, it's actually thinkable to call Jaws the worst of the bunch; that's how good Spielberg was in those days. Not only do those four movies better any of his other work, they stack up with anybody else's films as well; I don't think any other filmmaker has made four movies that are as excellent as these.

And Jaws was where it all started. Although it may be worse than three of its four descendants, that definitely isn't a slight on Jaws itself; the film seems nearly perfect. As I watched it tonight, I tried to imagine what scenes could arguably disappear and not affect the movie, or which felt like "padding". Of the whole film, the only scene I might delete would be the one with the fishermen who nearly become dinner for the shark; it serves no purpose other than to give the audience a quick jolt and up the adrenaline ante. I don't necessarily advocate the removal of the scene, but it appears expendable.

But that's it - I don't think the rest of Jaws shows an ounce of fat. Spielberg and editor Verna Fields managed to create an unbelievably tight and taut piece that displays virtually immaculate pacing; the story follows such a straight and coherent line from start to finish that I still can't imagine anything quite as well-structured.

However, don't think that Jaws is obsessed with plot, plot and more plot to the expense of other factors. The film boasts three wonderfully well-rounded lead characters via main protagonist Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), rich-boy marine biologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled old fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw). The personalities don't receive a tremendous amount of exposition. We learn bits and pieces as the film progresses: Brody is a New Yorker who hasn't quite adjusted to island life, Hooper is a bit of a spoiled brat as well as smart and cocky, and Quint is a somewhat bitter but committed and fearless shark stalker. At no time does the movie pause to have a character tell his "life story"; these pieces of information are conveyed almost effortlessly through the script.

The actors themselves bring quite a lot to the roles as well. Although I know that none of the actors were Spielberg's first choices, it now seems absolutely impossible to imagine anyone else in the parts. Scheider is strong enough as Brody to be believable, but he never lapses into "superman" territory. Brody exists as the audience's entry into the story, and while we have to see him as capable and effective, Scheider brings a terrifically human quality to the role that keeps him an underdog throughout the movie.

Dreyfuss came into his own with Hooper. The part allowed Dreyfuss to show a strong, quirky character, and this role really marks the start of the smarmy, snide persona Dreyfuss has portrayed so many times over the years. In many ways, Quint seems like the "anti-Hooper", as the two display the disparities between the rich and the working class as well as between book-learning and life-knowledge. However, they're more alike than they'd like to think, though it's fascinating to see the differing ways Quint and Hooper were drawn to sharks; the actors' attitudes make it clear that although both men initially were attracted to the beasts via violent episodes, their reactions were completely different.

Quint marked one of Shaw's final roles before his untimely death in 1978, and although I've not seen a ton of his films, I have a hard time imagining that he offered better work elsewhere. Shaw was clearly a very versatile actor - Quint doesn't have a lot in common with Mallory in Force 10 From Navarone or Lonnegan in The Sting - and Quint displays his ability as well as any other role. Perhaps better, since it forced him into a grittier American role; ironically, the British Shaw had a tougher time with his Irish accent in The Sting than here. Since Quint was my earliest exposure to Shaw, I was shocked when I found he wasn't American; he fits the role so well that it's hard to believe he's not a native.

In spite of a troubled, difficult production, virtually everything fell neatly into place for Jaws in the long run. I've never been a fan of movie music, and I really think too many films go overboard with their scores; most pictures could benefit from a serious cutback in on-screen music. John Williams has been as guilty as anyone in the excessive scoring department; I found his cloying music for Saving Private Ryan to be one of the film's main faults.

However, I have no similar complaints here. Williams cues the action and tone of Jaws to perfection. At times I marveled at how nicely his score complemented the film's events, from the deep menace of the legendary theme to the light and fun "nautical" quality of the more carefree moments on the sea as our heroes hunt the shark. Usually when I noticed film scores, it's a bad thing; it rarely happens unless I'm annoyed at the music. Williams' track for Jaws is a happy exception, as it adds measurably to the success of the film.

Lest you think all is perfect in Jaws, I did notice a few flaws. Usually I'm atrocious at observing continuity errors or other problems, but I actually picked up two in Jaws. Both revolve around the death report Brody completes for Chrissie. Twice on it he misspells "coroner" as "corner". Okay, maybe that was an intentional flaw meant as a small joke, but less sensible is this goof: Brody's report indicates that Chrissie - the first shark victim - was attacked on July 1. Later in the film, however, we clearly observe that Alex Kintner, the second victim, was chomped on June 29. Whoops! I doubt that I'm the first to notice these gaffes, but they're not on IMDB, and I so rarely see stuff like this that I was darned excited to find these errors on my own.

But not as excited as I was to once again watch the masterpiece that is Jaws. It may have a negative legacy, from its poor sequels to the fact it single-handedly created the "summer blockbuster"; Star Wars sealed the deal, but Jaws first enabled the yearly on-rush of crummy movies that dominate multiplexes for the warmer months. However, we can't blame the film for the phenomenon that followed it. 30 years after its initial release, Jaws fully retains its ability to thrill and delight. Movies just don't get much better than this.

Jaws appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the widescreen image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. I always thought the 2000 release of Jaws looked decent but flawed, and the same impression greeted the 2005 DVD.

That’s probably because all the Jaws DVDs appear to sport identical transfers. Unfortunately, no work was done to improve the master from 2000 for this 2005 release. That remains a shame, as a flick of this one’s stature really needs a stronger transfer.

Two significant problems presented themselves: softness and source defects. While much of the movie appeared adequately sharp and clear, a fair amount seemed rather fuzzy and indistinct. That didn't mean the DVD looked poor, as the majority of the movie offered accurate definition. However, noticeable softness occurred, particularly in wider shots that revealed some edge enhancement.

I saw no problems with jagged edges, but shimmering cropped up at times. This was most evident in clothes such as Mayor Vaughn’s sport jackets. A few other elements displayed this slight distraction as well, but usually it was complicated clothing that created the concern.

As for the source flaws, they weren’t a constant distraction, but they popped up more often than I’d expect. Mild grain showed up from time to time and various other flaws existed. I noticed nicks, white speckles, and black grit in the picture. The image seemed dirtier than I expected, especially given the film’s status. I thought the prevalence of defects decreased somewhat during the second half, but they still interfered at times.

Colors appeared strong and acted as the transfer’s strength. Much of the movie was shot outdoors in sunlight, a situation that greatly aided the resolution of the picture, and this factor helped create some nicely saturated and rich colors. They fell just a little short of the "eye-popping" level, as the hues seemed accurate and dynamic.

Black levels on the DVD were pretty tight and deep, and shadow detail was acceptable. Some segments looked overly thick and opaque, but those occurred due to the use of "day for night" photography. For instance, check out the opening scenes on the beach or the shots of the fishermen on the pier and you'll see pieces that were filmed this way. Day for night doesn't always look excessively dim, but it happens fairly frequently, especially in older films. Otherwise, the low-light shots came across with good definition.

As I mentioned, the transfer of Jaws disappointed me in 2000, and it continues to be a letdown in 2005. I flip-flopped between a “B-“ and a “C+” for the visuals. I went with the higher grade because I thought too much of the movie looked good to merit the lower grade. The problems created definite distractions, especially because it wouldn’t take too much work to improve the movie. I’m sure it wouldn’t be terribly time-consuming or expensive to bring Jaws up to snuff. As it stands, the movie remains watchable and occasionally very attractive, but too many problems occur for it to earn anything above a “B-“.

Three English soundtracks appear on the Jaws 30th Anniversary DVD: remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 as well as the movie’s original monaural audio. Back when Jaws first hit DVD in 2000, you could get either the Dolby Digital or the DTS versions, but they weren’t on the same disc, and the monaural track was nowhere to be found. Fans really griped about that omission, so it’s good to see it rectified here.

I’ll talk about the monaural track soon, but first I want to discuss the 5.1 mixes. I found myself surprisingly pleased by the Dolby Digital 5.1 track when I first listened to it, and the DTS 5.1 edition improves on that one.

The soundfield maintained an environment that favored the forward speakers but it displayed very good range. Dialogue stuck to the center channel, as did many effects, although quite a lot of ambient noise spread to the front side speakers (primarily) and to the rears; the surrounds largely fired only during underwater scenes or other segments that used a gently-enveloping environment. The score also blended nicely across the front speakers, and to the rears as well. The DTS track seemed a bit more active than did the Dolby one; I got a much better sense of the effects and music that came from the sides and the rears on it, and the entire mix seemed more enveloping and natural.

Any fears that the remixers would go nuts and create inappropriately discrete audio were unfounded. The track remained fairly modest and made only minor changes to bolster the environment. In many ways, it seemed comparable to the 5.1 tracks found on the Star Trek: The Original Series DVDs, although the Jaws track easily topped those for dimensionality and quality; the mix of Jaws really opened up the surround spectrum, especially in the way it used the music.

Oh, that music! In my review, I stated my affection for John Williams' work in the film, and I can't help but feel that some of my feelings stem from the positive sound quality of the score. Never before has this famous track packed quite such a wallop. Early on, I doubted the effectiveness of the remix; the music starts out isolated in the right speaker, and I initially found that disconcerting.

However, once the score kicked in more fully and I could appreciate the clarity and depth of the music, I was completely happy with the remix. The high end seemed a little thin and less than crystal-clear, and I also noted some mild tape hiss that appeared attached to the score, but the bass more than compensated for these minor deficits; the oomph resulting from Williams' famous music cues made this track wonderfully and appropriately jarring. I read another review that stated the score has never sounded better "on video"; I'll go further, as I doubt it's ever sounded so good on any recorded medium.

The effects were also strong. The audio controversy greatly involved these parts, as it was clear some of the effects would be re-recorded for the new mix. The purists cried foul, and I don't blame them, but when one considers the improvements that don't appear to have caused many compromises, I'll happily take the new recording. I only noticed a few effects that were clearly new; for example, gunshots are much too crisp to have come from the old track, and they replaced the “shark exploding” sound. However, I think the DVD displayed relatively few re-recorded stems; I can't formally quantify my impression, but I believe most of the effects still came from the original. The whole thing sounded quite good, as the added bass kicked in nicely, and the entire package came across well.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the dialogue has been re-recorded, so it's not surprising this area displays the most flaws. Speech seems slightly flat and dull, with a hard edge that made it blend a little awkwardly with the other elements. However, the dialogue seemed eminently intelligible, and the new mix actually let me hear speech more distinctly than in the past; I picked up on lines that always were submerged in the original. The relatively-weak quality of the dialogue stood out a bit more strongly than it might just because of the improvements in the other areas, but it didn't harm the track.

I've watched Jaws many, many times, and I thought it lost the ability to jolt me years ago. However, the power of the new soundtrack brought the old beast back to life in ways I didn't anticipate. I really liked the remix.

I made a few minor comparisons between the DTS and the Dolby Digital mixes but I'd like to more completely discuss the issues. Other reviewers have indicated that the differences between the two tracks are major, but I disagree with that. I have no doubts that the DTS version was superior, but I found the improvements to be less than "night and day". The DTS mix sounded more natural, and it made the distinction between different discrete domains more clear. As I mentioned, the use of the side channels and the surrounds sounded more obvious, but in a good way; I was more aware of a fully-enveloping environment on the DTS track.

I noticed some split surround usage that hadn't seemed apparent on the Dolby mix; for example, sometimes during the Orca scenes, waves lapped in way that favored the left rear speaker. Audio panned better on the DTS version, as evident during the Fourth of July beach scene when the helicopter flew past us; the DTS mix blended the motion between channels more cleanly and smoothly.

The DTS track also made various components of the audio more prominent. I noticed some parts of dialogue that had always seemed buried in the past. Bits of the music and effects came across more clearly as well.

As I mentioned, these differences were not huge. The Dolby track remained terrific and was very satisfying. However, the DTS mix added even more life to the old girl and is the way to go for anyone with DTS capabilities.

I also gave the original monaural track a listen. It holds up exceedingly well over all these years. While I criticized the quality of the speech as part of the 5.1 mixes, when heard in its original context, I had few problems with the dialogue. The lines could be a little hard and edgy, but they remained fairly distinctive and concise.

The quality of the music surprised me. Given the age of the mix, I didn’t expect it to appear so dynamic and rich. The music’s low-end was quite good, and the track replicated the score nicely. No, it didn’t sound as good here as during the 5.1 tracks, but it fared well.

Effects were also more than satisfactory. Occasional distortion occurred, but not enough to create a distraction. In general, these elements appeared fairly accurate and clean. No issues with background noise occurred. Overall, I thought the mono mix deserved a “B”.

Which soundtrack you choose will depend on what you want out of the movie. If you prefer to replicate Jaws exactly as it appeared on movie screens, go with the mono mix. It sounds good and doesn’t show its age too badly. If you want something a little more modern, go with one of the 5.1 tracks, preferably the DTS one if you have the necessary equipment. Yes, it changes some things from the original, but I think it makes up for this with all its improvements. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

When we head to the supplements that appear on the 30th Anniversary DVD, we find some changes from the 2000 release. Most of these are improvements, though I’ll eventually note a few negatives.

The majority of the extras show up on DVD Two, but Disc One includes a couple. We get a 13-minute and 34-second collection of Deleted Scenes and Outtakes. Most of these pieces are trims from existing scenes, though two are alternate takes of included segments, and one that involves Quint has no corresponding portion in the film. All of the scenes are interesting and fun, but you can see why were omitted, as they generally slowed down the story. I don't want to ruin the sole true deleted scene by describing it in detail, but let's just say it involves Quint, a young musician, and "Beethoven's Ninth". It's a truly delightful piece, but it also deserved to be cut, as it introduced Quint too early; it would have made the existing scene when Quint scratches the blackboard less compelling.

For reasons unknown, the old DVD cut a few minutes of the "Deleted Scenes" that originally appeared on the 1995 laserdisc. Happily, this set restores all of the missing footage. These reinstated clips include: a few seconds at the start of the Quint segment as we now see him emerge from his truck. We also regain some shots in which Quint's assistant explains why he didn't make the boat trip, and there's another missing bit that shows the first identification of Chrissie's remains.

The “Outtakes” last about one minute, and they cover three different topics. We get to delight in Roy Scheider's pain as his gun jams endlessly, and we also see some extra shots of Shaw as he spits blood. We get a few takes of Quint’s assistant as well. It's not much, but it's a lot of fun.

Something brand-new to the 30th anniversary DVD, From the Set lasts eight minutes and 47 seconds. This vintage featurette looks at May 6, 1974, the second of shooting in America. The British production focuses on Spielberg on the set. We see him at work and also in some short interview clips. Spielberg talks about real-life shark attacks as well as the then-current Sugarland Express, his work with the actors and the challenges of filming at sea. Out on the water, we watch problems with the scene in which Brody and Hooper find Ben Gardner. There’s nothing terribly revealing here, but it offers a nice slice of period life.

With that we head to DVD Two and the package’s most substantial component: a two-hour, two-minute and 36-second documentary called The Making of Jaws. Originally found on the 1995 laserdisc, this program offers the standard mix of movie clips, archival materials, and interviews. We hear from Spielberg, author Peter Benchley, screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown, shark documentarians Ron and Valerie Taylor, former MCA president Sid Sheinberg, stuntmen Richard Warlock and Ted Grossman, production designer Joe Alves, director of photography Bill Butler, composer John Williams, and actors Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Backlinie, and Lorraine Gary.

An extremely detailed program, “Making” starts at the beginning as Benchley discusses the origins of the novel. From there we find out about its title, the acquisition of the rights, finding a director, adapting the story and unused concepts, shooting real sharks and related topics, casting, filming at Martha’s Vineyard, filming many of the movie’s sequences, editorial choices, color and visual design, issues filming at sea, the design and creation of the mechanical shark as well as connected problems, the Orca, technical innovations, editing, reshoots, the score, screenings and audience reactions, ratings concerns, and general production problems and anecdotes.

Boy, do we get a lot of anecdotes here! And they’re uniformly good ones. The show includes more than enough basic data to ensure it’s not just relentless storytelling, but those tales are what adds life and personality to the program. We get a real feeling for all the problems that befell the production. The show moves things along briskly to make sure we find appropriate detail but we don’t get bogged down in minutiae. Fast, fun and informative, this is an excellent documentary.

A Storyboards domain offers some details on changes from the book. This area provides 195 screens, 30 of which are actually production drawings. The 165 storyboards detail seven different scenes, five of which are alternate versions of existing pieces; those stuck more closely to the original book. The other two storyboard scenes pretty much just equal what ended up in final cut. I'm not a huge fan of storyboards, but these are valuable since they cover material not found elsewhere.

The Production Photos section provides a whopping 364 frames worth of material. These are almost all candid shots from the set. The presentation isn't very friendly - God help you if you loved picture 350 and want to access it, since you'll have to skip through 349 frames to get there - but the material is strong.

Inside Marketing Jaws we get 70 stills. These include posters, ads, lobby cards, book and magazine covers, toys and other promotional materials. These are fun to see.

The final stillframe area, The Jaws Phenomenon includes 76 screens of images. We find a lot of international ads as well as promos for the Oscar campaign and elements that discuss the movie’s financial success - as well as the cute ads that appeared when Star Wars passed Jaws as the box office champ.

The 30th Anniversary Edition of Jaws includes a 60-page Commemorative Photo Journal. That’s a fancy title for a big booklet. It presents pictures from the movie and the production along with film dialogue, some quotes heard in “The Making of Jaws”, and a few other factoids. This adds up to a fairly nice little package.

So what elements disappeared from the old DVD? We lost text production notes, “Cast and Crew” listings and “Shark World”, a few screens about the beasts. The new DVD also discarded a trivia game, some DVD-ROM elements, and trailers.

Only that last omission comes as a disappointment. Jaws had some good trailers, and it’s a shame that got the boot from the new edition. And a strange change as well – they easily could have fit here.

After 30 years, Jaws remains one of the all-time great movies. Tight, briskly-paced and fully engrossing, it deserves its status as a classic. The DVD offers acceptable but disappointing picture quality along with excellent audio and some satisfying supplements.

If you don’t own a prior version of Jaws, run to the store and buy this 30th Anniversary Edition; it’s the best release of the film available. However, if you do possess one of the 25th anniversary discs, you’ll find only two reasons to “upgrade”: the inclusion of the original monaural soundtrack and the restoration of the full two-hour “Making of Jaws” documentary. If neither matters to you, stick with the old set. Otherwise, this one merits your money.