Believe it or not, I was never a super-duper, die-hard fan of this great white shark. I saw Jaws 2 and Jaws 3D, both in the theater, long before I watched the original on TV and then via streaming. Sure, it’s entertaining. I like that the music, the “dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun” that seems to summons the shark, which throughout most of the film displays only its fin, piercing out of the ocean as its hidden body makes its way towards its victim.
The book, which came first, was a best seller. Many people forget that the book was as popular and noteworthy as the film. Some have read it and dismissed it. Too much concentration of the sheriff and his marriage, town politics, person-to-person rivalry, they say. But it is for these reasons that I prefer the book. Also, the book offers theories as to the shark’s origins that aren’t found in the film. So the book wins.
The Books of Daniel 