The Corner Penthouse

Universal Pictures recently released the Jaws (1975) 50th Anniversary Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo Pack. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

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.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The movie is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 2:03:56. The movie has been rated PG. Audio languages include English, French, and Spanish. Subtitle languages English SDH, French, and Spanish.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

This is a three disc set, with one 4K UHD disc, and two Blu-ray discs. Disc 1 (4K UHD) and Disc 2 (Blu-ray) were previously released in 2020 and 2012, respectively. Disc 3 (Blu-ray), which only contains the "Jaws @ 50" documentary, is new. All of the extras listed below, aside from the still galleries and the "Jaws @ 50" documentary, are on both Discs 1 & 2. However, the presentation differs greatly. On Disc 1, all of the material is presented in 1920x1080, some of it upscaled, and all shown in the proper aspect ratio though letterboxing or pillarboxing. On Disc 2, all of this 4:3 standard definition material has been foolishly formatted for anamorphic widescreen, pillarboxed or windowboxed in the DVD resolution of 720x480, so LOTS of blackness has been unnecessarily added to the already low-resolution image. It should have been left in the original 720x480 4:3 formatting, as I assume it was on the original DVD these extras appeared on; or if Univeral absolutely wanted to re-format it for widescreen, then present it in 1280x720, which is a true widescreen format. If you don't understand any of this talk about video resolutions, check out this article I wrote.

• The Making of Jaws (2:02:48) - This 1995 documentary provides an insider look into the making of the film, filled with exhaustive cast and crew interviews, archival footage, outtakes, and much more.
• The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of Jaws (1:41:06) - A fan-made documentary from 2007/2012 that focuses on the many ways Jaws has helped shape elements of pop culture and influence a generation of filmmakers.
• Jaws: The Restoration (8:29) - An in-depth look, from 2012, at the intricate process of restoring the movie.
• Deleted Scenes and Outtakes (13:33)
• From the Set (8:46) - A 1974 making of featurette with a very young Steven Spielberg.
• Theatrical Trailer (3:15)
• Jaws Archives - A collection of still image galleries (sourced from the 1995 Signature Collection laserdisc) broken down into four categories: "Storyboards" (223 images), "Production Photos" (364 images), "Marketing Jaws" (70 images), and "Jaws Phenomenon" (76 images). These galleries are only on the Blu-ray disc.
• Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (1:28:04) - In this new 2025 documentary, Steven Spielberg shares an authorized look inside the story of Jaws. From Peter Benchley's epic novel to Spielberg's film, Jaws continues to influence pop culture, cinema and shark conservation. With interviews from Hollywood's most influential directors and shark scientists, the legend of Jaws is endless. This documentary is only on Disc 3, and is the only content on the disc.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

A digital copy code voucher is included inside the standard three-disc black 4K UHD case. An embossed slipcover is also included.

[ NOTES ]

Jaws (1975) 50th Anniversary Edition is available on 4K UHD + Blu-ray in standard packaging and Steelbook packaging. The older releases of the movie, without the "Jaws @ 50" documentary, is available on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Digibook , 25th Anniv. DVD, and 30th Anniv. DVD. If you already own the 2020 4K + Blu-ray release, you have to decide if the new "Jaws @ 50" documentary is worth a double dip, as you already have Discs 1 & 2 from this new 50th Anniversary Edition. I did not do a direct comparison, but the "Jaws @ 50" documentary seems to cover much of the same ground as the "The Shark is Still Working" documentary, only with more recent content.

As is well known, Jaws was followed by three sequels. All three have been gathered together in one "Jaws 3-Movie Collection", which is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD.

This item has been provided by Universal Pictures for review on this site.