Anton Kozlovic, talks about the Superman story from Superman and compares it to the story of Jesus from the Bible. He first begins by stating that the original story for the movie was more based on Greek mythology, but the director insisted that it be changed. He then goes on to elaborate and twenty Jesus-Superman parallels, including the three migrations that eventually led them to do their father’s work, their appearance as that of human beings even though they are both aliens, and the fact that they are both thirty years old when they begin their missions. Then Kozlovic elaborates on specific personal traits that both figures share. For example thought they both had great power, they were always willing to turn the other cheek and they both had dual identities. He then concludes by stating that it is no wonder Superman was so heavily enjoyed by so many movie goers—he is the modern day messiah. He also believes that the true meaning of films rest in the subtext, like it does in Superman.

The modern Hollywood blockbuster is not successfully just because of its extravagant special effects. One other important aspect—probably the most important—is the story. Without a compelling narrative a film has no chance of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster. Throughout history there has never been a story more captivating then that of Jesus Christ because it offers hope in a world of disorder. By emulating the Gospel, Superman again helped set the stage for future Hollywood blockbusters. Now many modern Hollywood blockbusters can be found that like Superman have modelled their plots on the story of Jesus Christ. Truly, there is no story more captivating and Hollywood writers now know what it takes to make a successful screen play, thanks to Superman.

This article is a look back at Jaws 20 years after it revolutionized the industry. While the film was very important at the time for its media attention, the concepts that went into Jaws would be long lasting. Jaws became the first blockbuster as a result of the advertising campaign and all the hype leading up to its premiere. By drawing so much attention to the film, the risk of the film would be minimized, while it could have major potential for drawing in huge crowds. According to the article, another key element that went into the popularity of Spielberg’s Jaws was the simple plot concept. Spielberg was reported as saying, "If a person can tell me the idea in 25 words or less, it's going to make a pretty good movie." The story of Jaws is simple and straightforward, and as Pevere points out, the final one third or so of the film is simply three men on a boat, attempting to kill a shark- as basic as it comes. This idea, mixed in with impressive technology and the occasional comedic relief works to make Jaws the first Hollywood blockbuster. As opposed to other articles on Jaws, this piece fails to mention the power of Spielberg’s images and the effects they had on viewers, perhaps a source of the films success. Instead the article focuses on the power of this recipe for a profitable film that Spielberg seems to have created with Jaws and will continue to reuse in future box office hits such as Jurassic Park. This article is unique because it is exploring Jaws more as a machine and not as an individual work of art. While it was greatly successful, Pevere breaks it down to its core and finds it to be simplistic. According to him, the simplicity, the media attention, and the technology worked together in order to draw in huge crowds and this concept is reproducible. Contrary to many other pieces, this article doesn’t find the attraction to sharks as a cause for the film’s popularity. Many other articles discuss the fear audiences felt so that it impacted them in their own lives while this one looks at it from the other side, explaining that perhaps the reaction came about for other reasons.

    This article is a look back at Jaws 20 years after it revolutionized the industry.  While the film was very important at the time for its media attention, the concepts that went into Jaws would be long lasting.  Jaws became the first blockbuster as a result of the advertising campaign and all the hype leading up to its premiere.  By drawing so much attention to the film, the risk of the film would be minimized, while it could have major potential for drawing in huge crowds.  According to the article, another key element that went into the popularity of Spielberg’s Jaws was the simple plot concept.  Spielberg was reported as saying, "If a person can tell me the idea in 25 words or less, it's going to make a pretty good movie."  The story of Jaws is simple and straightforward, and as Pevere points out, the final one third or so of the film is simply three men on a boat, attempting to kill a shark- as basic as it comes.  This idea, mixed in with impressive technology and the occasional comedic relief works to make Jaws the first Hollywood blockbuster.  As opposed to other articles on Jaws, this piece fails to mention the power of Spielberg’s images and the effects they had on viewers, perhaps a source of the films success.  Instead the article focuses on the power of this recipe for a profitable film that Spielberg seems to have created with Jaws and will continue to reuse in future box office hits such as Jurassic Park.  This article is unique because it is exploring Jaws more as a machine and not as an individual work of art.  While it was greatly successful, Pevere breaks it down to its core and finds it to be simplistic.  According to him, the simplicity, the media attention, and the technology worked together in order to draw in huge crowds and this concept is reproducible.  Contrary to many other pieces, this article doesn’t find the attraction to sharks as a cause for the film’s popularity.  Many other articles discuss the fear audiences felt so that it impacted them in their own lives while this one looks at it from the other side, explaining that perhaps the reaction came about for other reasons.

This is an in-depth look at horror and science fiction films involving a monster.  The article doesn’t focus on Jaws, however it gives an interesting interpretation about many ideas prevalent in Jaws and how they appeal.  Carrol says, “the horror and science fiction film poignantly expresses the sense of powerlessness and anxiety that correlates with times of depression, recession, Cold War strife, galloping inflation, and national confusion.”  The nemesis in Jaws is an uncontrollable creature, something out of the public’s hands.  The author rationalizes that these unmanageable situations were telling of the current situation of the country in the 1970’s and early 1980’s.  The helplessness that individuals were going through could be seen on-screen and as a result people were drawn to this.  Carrol refers to films such as Jaws as nightmares, something that one has no control over, yet is forced to watch.  He is providing a bleak interpretation of this time period, however this is his rationale for why a film such as Jaws was so successful during this time.  This can be interpreted to mean that people feared the current state of their country, for any number of reasons including the Watergate scandal, the oil problems, or the Cold War.  All of these situations were out of the publics control, similar to the way the audience had no way of controlling what would come next.  In this sense, the monstrous character in Jaws was very realistic, and as a result people took it so literally.  Perhaps this would be the reason so much action was taken against sharks going forward and the film was so moving to the general public. 

This Washington Post piece by Manny Fernandez describes the “bedlam” that took place after the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.  This article is an interesting look at the effects of Jaws on the summer of 1975, both on and off screen.  The film dominated the summer, as people of all ages were anxious to see the vicious shark and often times were willing to buy tickets way above face value.  Not often can a ticket normally sold for $2.50 at the box office be worth $8 outside the theater, however this demonstrated the enormous demand to see the first big Summer Movie.  Douglas Gomery called the phenomenon “shark mania,” where people were obsessed with the movie and couldn’t help but to enjoy the fear that Jaws was instilling in them.  The film’s horror had lasting effects, as “people wouldn’t go out much deeper than waist-deep” into the ocean after seeing the film.  Even though shark attacks have always been uncommon, Spielberg’s film was jaw dropping to viewers and certainly gave them something to think about. The mechanical shark devised by Spielberg generated quite a bit of excitement among movie-goers as sharks were being put in a new light that would be difficult to forget for the remainder of the summer months. It is very interesting the role Jaws played in causing fear among beach dwellers, as shark attacks have always been unlikely.  People were drawn into Jaws for its appeal and enjoyed being frightened on-screen, however it is clear that when the audience saw Jaws there was something deeper that was drawing them in, as evident by the incredible viewers responses.

Jaws became a Hollywood hit immediately upon its release in 1975. There are many reasons for its stunning success, one of the most important being the fear it instilled in audiences. It worked so well because of the power director Steven Spielberg had over audiences to keep them constantly scared of the shark images that would come next. This power worked not only to make Jaws so popular at the time, but also to have long term effects. The following articles touch on how Spielberg worked to make the film so effective as well as the films impact long after viewers saw Jaws, with a focus on the perception of sharks.