Jaws 50th Anniversary @ SIFF Cinema Downtown

It’s likely you’ve already seen Steven Spielberg’s second theatrically released film — which survived a legendarily hellish production to become a true American classic, helped solidify the concept of the summer blockbuster, set about a billion thriller tropes firmly in place and gave the world a reason to fear open water — but if you haven’t seen it on a massive screen, you don’t know what you’re missing. And thanks to SIFF, you can see it at the grandest movie palace in town!

I’ll also say, during the PNW’s hottest days, there’s nothing better than sitting in a big, air-conditioned room, soda and/or beer in hand and seeing the wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean unfurl before you. Sure, there’s a big ol’ shark terrorizing the vacation community of Amity Island, but trust that noble police chief Roy Scheider, twitchy oceanographer Richard Dreyfuss and grizzled shark hunter Robert Shaw will get to the bottom of it.

But it’s not just “Shark Attack: The Movie.” What makes “Jaws”stand out from its infinite imitators — there’s an entire cottage industry on SYFY dedicated to churning out cheapo chomp-chomp trash — is the film’s human core. Consider Mrs. Kintner’s tearful slap as she mourns her son, Shaw’s third-act USS Indianapolis speech and the evergreen plotline of a politician choosing capitalism over safety. Scares are nothing if you aren’t connecting with the characters.

You’re gonna need a bigger boat, but the SIFF Cinema Downtown is just the right size.