This year marks the 50th Anniversary of “Jaws”.

Just look at that one sheet, isn’t it beautiful.

Easily one of the most iconic film posters, it’s one that no matter how many times I see it, I’m still given a tingle of fear down my spine. Yes, that one sheet can still get my hairs standing on end and transport me back to being a child staring in awe at it.

Everyone has their own “Jaws” story, for me it was that my parents that recommended that I watch it. I’ve loved films from a very young age, I spent many hours watching them, taping them and building up my own VHS collection, devouring everything I could.

This was the reason my parents recommended the film to me, they thought Id love it and they were right. From the first time I saw it I knew there was no going back, this film had affected me in a way that no other film had been able to do so before.

Whilst the films ending was supposed to be one of survival and somewhat upbeat, it had left my young mind filled with dread and fear. I couldn’t understand why but I couldn’t stop watching it, over and over again. It had me hooked (No pun intended).

Ultimately, like millions of others, I would never look at the sea the same again. Even though I live in the UK where there are no sharks and I’ve more chance of being killed by a rampaging cow, I still couldn’t risk setting foot into any coastal waters.

It kickstarted something of a lifelong fascination I have with animals, mainly those apex predators we are in fear of. I’m always left in both awe and terror when I see anything to do with them and it all comes back to this film and the feeling it left me with.

We can’t talk about the 50th anniversary of this film and not mention it’s truly iconic score, so simple yet it manages to fill you with anxiety. Even people who haven’t watched the film know the music, that’s when you know you’ve most definitely done something right.

When composer John Williams played the score for director Steven Spielberg, Spielberg laughed and said, “That’s funny, John, really; but what did you really have in mind for the theme of Jaws?” Spielberg later stated that without Williams’s score, the movie would only have been half as successful.

The film is also famous for the amount of behind the scenes stories and trivia involved in it, there’s so many I couldn’t possibly talk about them all here but if you have the time I recommend you look them up, it really does make for fascinating reading.

One of my favourite tidbits is that the shark (nicknamed by cast and crew as Bruce) has only four minutes of screen time. It really goes to show you how much impact you can have despite the lack of screen time, you’d swear it was more than that.

This film also contains one of my favourite scenes in film history, you probably know which one I’m talkng about, yes it’s the drinking scene. It never ceases to put a big grin on my face no matter how many times I watch it, it’s a real masterpiece of film-making.

Hearing ‘Quint’s tale of the USS Indianapolis still manages to mesmerize me. Every time I see this scene, whether by meyself or with a group of people, you could hear a pin drop. It draws you in and demands your attention, not something we see a lot of these days.

This is a film that has managed to stand the test of time, though I do know some people who find the film boring. Usually this is because they expected more gore and shark attack scenes, that’s the problem with a film having a big reputation around it.

The fact that this film not only set the bar for other shark based films there’s also the fact that in its fifty year existence it has never been bettered is truly a testament unto itself. In my humble opinion, it truly is one of the greatest films ever made.

“Jaws” is a film I consider to be essential viewing and I’m so glad to see all the love it’s been getting for it’s 50th anniversary and the fact that even after all these years it’s still being introduced to new fans. Be sure to celebrate its legacy yourself, I know I certainly will.