Jaws – 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital [4K UHD]

Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, Jaws set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, Jaws remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.

Product Features

This combo pack includes 4K UHD, Blu-ray and a digital copy of Jaws. The digital code is Movies Anywhere compatible and will port to all connected services including Apple iTunes, VUDU, and other supported platforms. Features Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for brighter, deeper, more lifelike color that brings this classic thriller to life like never before.

Video Quality

The classic summer blockbuster swims to the shores of Ultra HD with a spectacularly handsome HEVC H.265 encode, giving fans everywhere a notable step-up over previous Blu-ray releases. Coming from the same restoration efforts done a few years ago, the original 35mm camera negatives have been remastered to a brand-new 4K digital intermediate. The film’s original camera negative was wet gate scanned in native 4K as part of Universal’s 100th anniversary restoration project in 2012. The negative was given a liquid bath before it was scanned to create a new 4K restoration, with each frame immersed and digitally captured while still wet to minimize visual damage.

This 4K UHD Blu-ray debut comes with HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ forms of High Dynamic Range. The disc presents a native 3840 x 2160p resolution image in the widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and uses 10-bit video depth, a Wide Colour Gamut, and is encoded using the HEVC codec. Detail is stunning, from the wrinkles and sideburns of Quint’s grizzled face, to clothing weaves, to sand grains on the beach. Bill Butler’s cinematography benefits from a bolder, livelier color palette, making the entire film appear fresh and rejuvenated. Primaries are more sumptuous and eye-catching in this Dolby Vision HDR presentation, and this is especially true of the red swimming trunks and boats looking more dramatic and animated while the cerulean blue of the sky is more spirited and striking.

Audio Excellence

The creature-feature masterpiece has been upgraded to an excellent Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The overhead channels are used sparingly or to fill out the score, which comes at you from up on high, with underwater effects giving the best usage. Bass is tight and deep, used to fill out the low end, while LF effects, such as the shark hitting the side of the Orca, or the compressed air explosion get some punch. Dynamic range is sharply rendered and detailed, nicely separating the mids from the highs with extraordinary clarity. Channel separation is well-balanced, delivering many off-screen effects with smooth panning and generating a terrifically warm and convincing image while dialogue reproduction is precise and intelligible with superb emotive intonation.

John Williams’ score is marvelous and flows perfectly with the film. The musical score to Jaws is one of the most memorable of all time, ranked No. 6 among AFI’s Top 25 film scores in history. Also included is the same excellent restored DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track provided for the 2012 Blu-ray release.

Technical Specifications

• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Region Coding: Region Free
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Video Resolution: 2160p HEVC/H.265
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision/HDR10+/HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English DTS 2.0 Mono, French DTS-HD HR 7.1, Spanish DTS 5.1
• Disc Format: BD-100 Triple-Layer Disc

Bonus Features

Dive into over three hours of bonus features including the making of Jaws, deleted scenes, outtakes from set and much more. All bonus features are included on both the 4K UHD disc and the accompanying Blu-ray.

• The Making of Jaws (2 hours) – An insider look into the making of this classic film, this original full-length documentary directed by Laurent Bouzereau is filled with exhaustive cast and crew interviews, archival footage, outtakes, and much more. Interviews include Steven Spielberg, Peter Benchley, Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, and many others.
• The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of Jaws (1 hour 40 minutes) – A fan-made documentary that focuses on the many ways Jaws has helped shape elements of pop culture and influence a generation of filmmakers.
• Jaws: The Restoration (8 minutes) – An in-depth look at the intricate process of restoring the movie. Features interviews with Universal Studios technical operations staff including Michael Daruty, Peter Schade, and colorist Daniel DeVincent from Cineric, showing original footage before restoration and side-by-side restoration comparison footage.
• Deleted Scenes and Outtakes – Over 13 minutes of content
• From the Set – 9 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage
• Jaws Archives – A collection of storyboards, production photos and promotional art
• Theatrical Trailer

The Film

Based on Peter Benchley’s novel inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, Jaws tells the story from the perspective of Police Chief Martin Brody. The screenplay was adapted by Benchley himself, for the first three drafts, along with the help of Carl Gottlieb, who is also known for his role as “Meadows” in the film and for co-writing “The Jerk.” Gottlieb also wrote the book “The Jaws Log” about the making of the film itself.

Jaws was Steven Spielberg’s second effort as a feature-film director, made when he was only 28 years old, and the film that really launched his career. Shot using Arriflex 35-III and Panavision Panaflex on 35mm film with anamorphic lenses, the production famously faced numerous challenges, particularly with the mechanical shark the crew affectionately named “Bruce.” The shark worked only sporadically, forcing Spielberg to use creative cinematography and editing techniques that ultimately enhanced the suspense.

The film demonstrates Spielberg’s talent for capturing thrilling action and generating suspense from the most simplistic camera angles while balancing it with poignant, touching drama. Spielberg worked very closely with editor Verna Fields to ensure viewers never see too much of the shark, building fear and anticipation instead. The simple, high-concept premise of a man-eating shark terrorizing a small beach resort community not only transformed Spielberg into a household name, but also introduced the special effects blockbuster extravaganza which has become the staple of the summer movie season.

Customer Experiences

From the opening scene, the images are so sharp and vibrant, they are more lifelike than ever. This 4K transfer reveals a rich palette of details and subtle nuances that many viewers report never noticing on DVD or previous Blu-ray editions. From the beach party at night to the scenic views of Martha’s Vineyard by day to the showdown with the shark at sea, the enhanced resolution places viewers right in the middle of the action.

One verified purchaser noted: “Excellent quality on the 4K disc over a standard Blu-ray edition. You will see, hear and feel a difference. Many times an older film like Jaws doesn’t really look all that great in 4K. But not with this edition. They took much time and energy to make it have the look and sound of a new release.”

Another customer shared: “This movie looks astonishingly good. I had no idea a movie released in 1975 could look this good.” Multiple reviewers have praised the restoration work, with one stating the 4K version represents “Classic movie brought into the 4k spotlight” and “the detail is astounding.”

Legacy and Impact

Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Original Score, Jaws has become a global phenomenon. The film changed motion picture history in 1975, birthing the summer movie blockbuster and revolutionizing how movies were marketed and merchandised for action-oriented summer movie seasons. Fifty years later, it still holds a grip on audiences around the world and remains one of the most effective horror thrillers ever made.

Jaws left a permanent mark on the history of cinema. The simple premise about hunting a great white shark terrorizing a small beach-town resort delivered the sort of terrifying, visceral punch audiences expect from movies but rarely attain. It remains widely accepted as one of the better films in cinema history and continues to terrify audiences decades after its initial release.