Who's read the Book? VERY Different from the movie....

Its one of those rare instances where the movie is better than the book. By quite a large margin! That's REALLY rare!

Spielberg was right to change the character of Hooper from a spoiled rich frat boy who fucks Brody's wife to a nerdy shark obsessive who keeps his pants zipped. Spielberg realized that the core of the story was really man-vs-nature, and he kept the focus on the men fighting the shark rather than each other. Okay, they had personality conflicts and fought each other over HOW to kill the shark, but they never forgot about the shark and fought about other things the way they did in the book. Spielberg really strengthened the story with that little change.

IMHO, the book was not so much about the shark as it was about what the shark's existence did to the town. It kind of exposed all the corruption (the mayor was in with the Mob), the lack of good character (I did not feel I could root for anyone, even Brody, who in the book is a jerk.) and other things.
The movie was better, IMHO, and I usually think the book a movie is based on is better. In some cases, MUCH better than the film.

This was a rare case where the movie is better than the book. Spielberg cut out that parts nobody cared about.

There was supposed to have been a romantic sub-plot that didn't show up in the movie. According to my mother, who read the book and saw the movie, it was no loss.

I have read the book. Imo the film is so much better!

The book is pulp. The movie is a masterpiece.

I've read it, thought it was alright-ish.

A lot of unnecessary smut and mellow drama that just seems awkward. I remember Ellen fantasizing about her panties being wet and the cool breeze blowing up her skirt getting her off. Got a good laugh at that lol.

I much prefer the movie, but the book is not without merit. Here are a few comparisons between the book and movie I’ve thought about over the years:

Brody...much more likable in the movie version.

Ellen...much more likable in the movie version. Her book version dreams of living in high society, which leads to the affair.

Hooper... no contest, the movie version is much better. In the book he’s a rich, arrogant twerp who gets what he deserves. Movie audiences cheered when his character surfaced at the end.

Quint...this may be a toss-up. His character is basically the same in both, but the book doesn’t have the sublime Indianapolis soliloquy. His death is by drowning in the book, but it’s still unsettling. I give the nod to movie Quint, but book Quint is still solid.

The shark...both the book and movie do a good job of making the shark appear omniscient. I say it’s a toss-up.

Chrissy’s death...both are horrifying and heartbreaking, but I’ll give the nod to the book version for two reasons: first, there’s a quick line about the shark swimming past her underwater, and it’s so big it lifts her just a bit. That’s where her terror begins to set in. The second reason is because of how she realizes she’s been attacked. Reaching down to feel her foot, and finding only the nub of bone is chilling.

The ending...I know I’m in a minority, but I prefer the shark’s death in the book.

Kintner attack...this is a toss-up for me. They’re both horrific.

Old man/estuary victim...these are two different attacks, but the estuary victim is easily more horrific than what’s mentioned in the book about the old man.

Suspense/terror...they’re both frightening, but the book has a lot of extraneous nonsense that slows down the story. All the shark scenes in the book are well done, but the movie makes them even more powerful.

It’s hard for younger moviegoers to fully understand the terror that JAWS unleashed. The movie tapped into something primal.