Jaws at 50

50 years ago, Jaws, the granddaddy of summer blockbusters, was unleashed in cinemas, becoming a pop culture sensation.

Director Steven Spielberg's shark story, adapted from Peter Benchley’s bestselling book, is regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made. I was too young to see Jaws during its original theatrical run. Still, it caught my childhood imagination courtesy of Ideal's The Game of Jaws and John Williams' Oscar-winning soundtrack as I flicked through the pages of a neighbour friend’s shark book before asking them countless questions about the movie - their patience was limitless.

When Jaws was first shown on television in 1981, I wasn't disappointed (traumatised, more like).

Alien and Jaws have the distinction of being the stuff of childhood nightmare fuel in the early eighties. For the next two hours, I didn't move from the edge of my seat. For context, not for the first time, I had my legs in plaster casts as part of rehabilitation following a life-changing injury. My emotions were frayed, but I couldn't avert my eyes from the horror unfolding before me and that fella from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Richard Dreyfuss (Matt Hooper).

Such was the phenomenal success of Jaws that shark species were hunted to near extinction due to a moral panic. Thankfully, lessons were learned, myths dispelled, and shark conservation has prevailed on Shark Awareness Day. That said, I can't visit the seaside without hearing Williams' iconic main theme.

In an era of second screens and instant gratification, Jaws remains a masterclass in cinematic storytelling filled with compelling characters we care about.

What are your memories of watching Jaws? Let me know in the comments below.