50 years on, Jaws 'is like the Mona Lisa' - no one should remake it

Yahoo

11-07-2025

Just when we all thought it was safe to go back into the water, Jaws returns to celebrate its 50th birthday. Released in 1975, Steven Spielberg's breakout film endured a hellish, high-seas production involving a constantly broken shark and a frequently drunk Robert Shaw. The end result? The summer blockbuster template that Hollywood has tried to replicate ever since.
The whole bloody journey is chronicled in Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. This new film by Spielberg's long-time documentarian Laurent Bouzereau aims to deliver on its titular promise. Produced by Wendy Benchley, wife of late Jaws author Peter Benchley, it gathers plenty of starry faces to celebrate this one-off classic and its impact on Oceanography.
Guillermo del Toro, J.J. Abrams, Emily Blunt, James Cameron, Jordan Peele and George Lucas each reveal the impact Jaws had on them as filmmakers and fans. Science boffins discuss the rollercoaster effect it had on shark conservation, one that began with reckless cruelty but ended in increased protections. Meanwhile, Spielberg himself candidly reflects on the whole tumultuous experience, revealing some unexpected takeaways that he's still dealing with today.
It's a celebratory look-back that dives deep into the creation and real-world legacy of the movie that changed movies. However, as we endure an age of remakes, reboots and legacy sequels, one element that Bouzereau happily left lost in the depths is whether Spielberg's Great White (playfully nicknamed Bruce after his lawyer) is likely to return to screens.
"There are some movies that should not be touched," reasons Bouzereau, suggesting that to remake Jaws, you'd not only need a bigger boat but a damn good reason. "Personally, I feel Jaws captures a flavour that is un-remake-able. It's something that should be preserved."
To remake Jaws, you'd not only need a bigger boat but a damn good reason.Laurent Bouzereau
According to Bouzereau, this very modern quandary was something he put to each of his famous interviewees. However, in the end, he realised it had a very obvious answer. "I did ask that question to everybody in the film but decided not to include it because it just felt like a rabbit hole," he tells Yahoo. "You can really answer it yourself - just look at all the remakes that have already been done on classic films."
"Benchley's wife has similar thoughts: Honestly, I don't see any reason to remake it," adds the environmental activist. Over the years, she's seen firsthand how her husband's book and Spielberg's film have impacted fans. "Not only did so many people want to become marine scientists like Hooper but it impacted people in so many different ways," says Benchley, referencing Jaws' loud-mouthed shark expert, played by Richard Dreyfuss. "Families have used it as a teaching tool to get their children interested in the ocean."
With a core story focusing on a battle between an unwavering, unstoppable threat that feels more relevant than ever, she feels a reboot would be pretty redundant. "I think every generation that sees it pulls their own meaning, importance and celebration out of it.
"It's an age-old story about how people react to a menace they can't control - whether it's Covid, a shark or something else," says Benchley. "Just leave it as it is and let each generation enjoy it in whatever way they want to."
Floating the idea of a remake might not be the most welcome news to Spielberg. While discussing his post-Jaws experiences, the filmmaker speaks openly and honestly about the intense levels of post-traumatic stress he was left with after returning from the sea.
"There was always the fear that not only were you almost destroyed by Jaws, but also 'How do I top this?'", says the director, commenting on Spielberg's state of mind post-Jaws.
"Of course, he did top it with Close Encounters [of the Third Kind] right afterwards - but I could see the anxiety level to which he was able to regress to during our interview. It was quite a moment," admits Bouzereau. "I knew I'd captured an emotional aspect that, if not new, had not been discussed in that manner before."
Lingering stresses aside, Bouzereau believes there are too many indelible qualities that stand in the way of any reboot or remake having the same level of audience impact. Bruce's inherent clunkiness is a great example.
"Everybody is obsessed with that shark and yet it looks fake," he says, pointing to the screen-used model of Bruce that was saved from decay, recently restored and currently sits high above the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. "And yet, with composer John Williams, [Spielberg] was able to give the shark a voice that we can all relate to. The brilliance of that collaboration alone can't be copied or reproduced.
"To me, Jaws is like the Mona Lisa," continues Bouzereau. "It can be copied, but it's never going to match the journey the artist had with it. [A remake] is something I hope never happens - and if it does, I don't think we'll be talking about it for as long as we have been talking about the original Jaws."
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres Friday, 11 July at 8pm on National Geographic and streams the same day on Disney+.