Director Steven Spielberg made Jaws, the 1975 blockbuster that changed the face of modern filmmaking. Its commercial success established Spielberg as one of the most promising directors of the new age Hollywood, resulting in a career that has spanned more than five decades.
As the classic Spielberg movie completes 50 years in 2025, Ocean’s 11 director Steven Soderbergh discussed its influence on him and modern blockbusters. Soderbergh felt that Spielberg was being taken for granted despite pulling off the impossible with Jaws, and here is what the director had to say about the influential 1975 blockbuster.
Steven Soderbergh discussed how Steven Spielberg pulled off the impossible in Jaws
Director Steven Soderbergh is best known for his work on the Ocean’s 11 franchise, starring George Clooney. Soderbergh later established himself as a sought-after director in the studio system with his inventive movies.
As a result, it isn’t a surprise that Soderbergh was deeply inspired by Steven Spielberg, who rose to fame with his 1975 classic Jaws, a critical and commercial success. In an interview with Deadline, Soderbergh admitted to watching the movie as a child and cited it as one of the key reasons he wanted to become a director.
In the same interview, Soderbergh also noted how Spielberg pulled off a nearly impossible task with the movie, which was shot in the middle of the ocean with the help of pneumatically powered prop sharks.
There is no technological advance that has happened since that would make it any easier to do what they were doing.
Soderbergh made the above statement, explaining how the production was a daunting undertaking, given the technological restrictions that continue to exist even today. As a result, Soderbergh felt that the movie had a unique visual appeal, which is why Jaws remains a classic even after fifty years.
Steven Soderbergh feels that Steven Spielberg is still taken for granted 50 years after making Jaws
While reflecting on the movie’s legacy, Soderbergh also discussed how Spielberg was taken for granted despite pulling off the impossible and establishing himself as one of the strongest individual creative voices in the industry in the following decades.
Soderbergh noted how Jaws marked the start of a prolific run for Spielberg, with some of his less well-received or commercially successful projects being taken for granted because of the heights he had touched earlier in his career.
Soderbergh cited Ready Player One as an example of the same, stating the following on Spielberg’s prolific career:
There are things that he’s done that if any other filmmaker had made them, these would be their career best. But he’s done it so often that he gets taken for granted.
Similarly, Soderbergh also cited how Spielberg made Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List in the same year, while undertaking such arduous projects would’ve easily sidelined other filmmakers. Hence, despite almost five decades of consistent blockbusters, it is easy to understand why Spielberg was still taken for granted.
Jaws is currently streaming on AMC+ with Apple TV.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
