Film

1.      A children’s movie that incorporated sharks is Andrew Stanton’s Finding Nemo. While Marvin and Dory are on an adventure to find Nemo, they encounter three sharks: Bruce, Anchor, and Chum. It is interesting how in their first encounter, the sharks attempt to be their friends with the statement, “fish are friends. Not food.” Suddenly, a turn of events occur where the sharks suddenly want to eat the fish after smelling their blood. However, in the end of the movie (spoiler alert!), the sharks become the fish’s friends. An adult movie that incorporated sharks is Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. In this horror film, sharks are clearly depicted as the villain. One of the most notable things about this movie was the music itself. Also, since the release of this film, many have developed a fear for sharks. This movie depicts Brody as the protagonist and the shark as the antagonist. In the end (another spoiler alert!), Brody successfully kills the shark, saving himself. In this scene, suspense builds up, allowing the audience members to cheer for Brody, not the shark. A main difference between these two depictions of sharks in film is how they’re viewed. Since Jaws was released before Finding Nemo, Jaws depicts a more “traditional” viewpoint of sharks that have been followed: evil, man-eating villains. However, in Finding Nemo, this viewpoint is established until the ending is reached. There is a turn-around in the viewpoint of sharks because they suddenly become the fish’s friends. Since Finding Nemo is a more modern movie, the incorporation of sharks and this turn-around may be a message for the audience to takeaway. While sharks have always been viewed as an evil sea creature, they can also become friendly creatures that are not always devouring everything in sight. The sharks are able to control themselves. On the other hand, Jaws may have wanted its audience members to watch this horror movie for entertainment’s sake.