10 Most Iconic Villains In Movie History

The making of Jaws is now part of Hollywood folklore. A shark attack movie turned out to be easier written than filmed, and the production was reshaped on the fly due to the unreliability of the mechanical great whites.

Spielberg turned the setback into gold. The dud sharks made it necessary to limit the monster’s screentime, thereby ramping up the tension to nigh on unbearable levels by the time it finally rises from the deep.

Jaws may be the great man vs nature movie. A shark is not inherently villainous - they’re hunters, predators, it’s just what they do. But the shark that attacks Amity Island is beyond a regular great white. Its cold, dead eyes are that much colder and deader than usual - it’s easy to root for man in this particular battle.

The sequels took the concept too far, making this a personal battle. Jaws is ultimately about the fear of something you can’t control. There are many scholarly interpretations of Jaws - Watergate, counter-culture, socioeconomic matters. Alternatively, it’s just a note perfect thriller about an unstoppable murder machine.