Blog Post: “Why Jaws Is the Best Three-Act Movie of All Time”

By Thomas Fenton

Today is the anniversary June 20th, 1975, makes it 50 years since the release of Jaws. I thought I'd celebrate by writing a little about my thoughts on the screenplay...

Let’s be blunt: Jaws isn’t just a masterpiece—it’s the blueprint. If you want to understand screenwriting structure, don’t crack open another manual.

Just watch Jaws.

Spielberg’s 1975 classic is often praised for its tension, its groundbreaking effects, and that unforgettable John Williams score. But beneath the thrills and the fear lies something even more impressive: a flawless, textbook three-act structure that hits every beat with surgical precision.

ACT ONE: The Threat Emerges

The movie doesn’t waste time. A young woman goes swimming and doesn’t come back. Instant tension. Then we meet Brody—a man out of his depth (literally, he hates the water, he sits in the car when on the ferry), trying to manage a beach town that doesn’t want to hear the word “shark.” The stakes are set. The inciting incident (Chrissie's death), the refusal of the town to act, the second killing—all build to Brody slamming the beach closed.

And just like that, the plot is locked in.

ACT TWO: The Shark vs. the Town

This is where most movies meander. Not Jaws. We get a series of escalating conflicts— Mayor still refusing to act? Yup. Alex Kintner on a raft? Gone. Quint scratching the chalkboard with that glorious monologue? Legendary. This act does double duty: it raises the body count and deepens our characters. Brody’s fear. Mrs. Kinter's slap. Hooper’s obsession. Quint’s mythology. Every scene does something—builds tension, reveals character, and marches us toward the inevitable confrontation.

ACT THREE: The Orca and the Open Sea

By the time we set sail on the Orca, the genre shifts entirely. What started as a town-hall thriller turns into a survival-at-sea monster movie. And this third act is lean, mean, and beautifully executed. It’s three men, one boat, and one shark. No subplots. No distractions. Just payoff after payoff. Quint’s U.S.S. Indianapolis speech? Chilling. The exploding tank finale? Iconic.

And let’s not forget: each character gets exactly the ending their arc demands. Quint dies consumed by the thing he’s hunted his whole life. Hooper survives by hiding—just like he avoids confrontation on land. Brody? He conquers his fear and blows the damn thing up.

You know what? I'll even go one better. You can only listen to the soundtrack for the film to get the same 3X structure. The first act and second are both very deep and brooding pieces of music and when they get to the Orca, the music is bright filled with French horns and adventure.

Why It Still Matters

Jaws isn’t just the best three-act film—it’s the most honest. It respects the audience. It knows when to build and when to release. It teaches screenwriters that structure isn’t about formulas—it’s about escalation, transformation, and payoff.

So the next time someone asks you what a perfect movie looks like, don’t quote a book.

Just say: You're going to need a bigger boat.