cjblandford 's review for:

Jaws by Peter Benchley

2.75

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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 I read this for a local horror book club. Parts of it were good, other parts aged like milk. While the book tried to say things about class and masculinity, I feel like the movie is a superior telling of this story. The book loses track of it's focus with the added side plots of Ellen's affair and the mafia. The mafia bit could have worked if there was a resolution, or even just more of a threat, so that Brody could really feel pressured from all sides. The affair and the dialogue during the lunch scene with Ellen and Hooper put me firmly on Team Shark. That whole scene was just pure 1970s male pulp fantasy. So gross. But overall, I think the book suffered from poor pacing and flawed characters who weren't pushed enough. Even some of the scenes with the shark weren't scary, but more dry and detached. More tension could have been written in. I'm glad I read it, but this is one of those rare cases where the movie is better.