It might be three decades old, but Jaws can still make one think twice before venturing into the surf. The opening sequence – in which a young woman goes for a moonlight swim and is attacked by a shark – is the epitome of terror. Repolished from its five-year-old single-disc version for a two-disc 30th Anniversary Edition, the film never looked better.

Based on the best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws takes place at the fictional New England resort on Amity Island, where summer vacationers mean big bucks for the local businesses.

When the bloody remains of the swimmer are found on the beach, Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) immediately suspects a shark attack. But the locals, led by Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), try to persuade Brody to play it down so as not to scare away high-spending visitors. Their low-key approach appears to be right when a fisherman catches and kills what everyone believes is the rogue shark.

Enter shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), who tells the mayor and his friends that they’ve killed the wrong shark. What they should be looking for, Hooper says, is a great white shark.

The film has plenty of tense moments, thanks to director Steven Spielberg, some deft editing and John Williams’ thumping score, before an old sea-going salt named Quint (Robert Shaw) offers to hunt down the killer – for a price. Accompanied by Hooper and Brody, Quint steers his boat toward a memorable showdown with the shark.

For this addition, the original 50-minute Making of... documentary has been expanded to two hours, offering even more insight into the thoughts of the actors, producers, Spielberg and Benchley. Also, new to the DVD is an eight-minute spot made for British television during production of the film that includes a private interview with Spielberg.

If you’re a fan of the movie or someone interested in owning a piece of film history, this special edition is well worth the price.

DVD Grade: A-

© 2005, The State (Columbia, S.C.).

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition is currently available.