Happy 50th Anniversary to Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, which opened in theatres on June 20, 1975. To this day, I can’t get out of a pool without the thought of being jerked back under by a great white at the last minute. Yes, I know sharks can’t be in pools. It’s a completely ridiculous and unnecessary response, but it’s there and it’s the fault of Jaws.
To celebrate the big anniversary, I forced my wife to watch Jaws for the first time. I’ll never share my wife’s age, but she’s had more than enough time to see it by now. Her fear of sharks made her avoid it to this point, but it’s a classic, and I couldn’t live with someone who hadn’t seen one of the most iconic movies of all time. Her review: It was… good. She jumped at the reveal of Ben Gardner’s head during Hooper’s dive scene. She thought the shark looked ok and would have been more impressed with it had she seen it during the actual century the movie was released.
If you enjoy the movie more than my wife did and want to treat it as the classic that it is, there are plenty of figures to be had for the 50th. Let’s take a look at what Mondo has going up for preorder and what NECA has hitting stores in time for Shark season.
Jaws – Vinyl Designer Figure by James Groman – Timed Edition
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the original blockbuster with the new JAWS – Vinyl Designer Figure by James Groman, a massive 16″-long beast with a mouthful of amazing accessories plus an awesome shark cage stand!
Track the Terror of Amity Island with attachable harpoons, rope and barrels, but don’t underestimate this great white. (Just ask Ben Gardner…)
Available for just 4 weeks, this Timed Edition variant also comes complete with exclusive extras like a JAWS 2 Portrait!
Mondo has some timed releases dropping soon. In addition to some limited edition records and a poster, they’re also releasing a vinyl figure of Bruce the Shark. Designed by James Groman, the Shark has a bit of a stylized look to it. When paired with its Shark cage stand, it looks more like one of Mondo’s posters or a comic book cover. It’s fantastic, though, to call it a “figure” is a bit of a stretch. It does have an alternate head to show off some battle damage similar to the appearance in Jaws 2, but this is a statue for all intents and purposes. It’s a pretty rad offering overall. You’ve got 4 weeks to order once it goes live.
The Game of Jaws and Ultimate Quint by NECA
My Figure Friday partner EA Henson wrote about both of these previously when the preorders launched, but I wanted to follow up now that I’ve got them in-hand. The Game of Jaws is pretty fantastic. Not only did they give us a highly detailed Shark, they paid respect to the original Jaws game from 1975. It’s pretty great. I’ve had a lot of fun playing this game with my grandkids, but not as much fun as slipping my Ultimate Quint figure into the shark’s mouth for the first time. Mini Robert Shaw is perfect. Multiple looks from the movie. Fun accessories and an incredible likeness. He’ll live out his final moments forever trapped in the jaws of Jaws.
