Jaws (and family) swims into the Netflix stream this September

Just when you thought it was safe to log into Netflix again, this time, it’s personal. Wait, I’m mixing up two different taglines; maybe we’re going to need a bigger bo — oh, fine, I’ll stop. The point is, in case it’s not clear enough: the Jaws franchise is coming to Netflix in September, finally allowing subscribers the chance to enjoy one of the greatest movies ever made… and three increasingly weird sequels.

Beginning September 1, Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3, and Jaws: The Revenge will all be available on the streaming platform, giving users the opportunity to rediscover just why swimming in open waters anywhere on the East Coast of the United States in the summer is a terrible idea. Especially if you’re vacationing in a small town that prides itself on its beaches and doesn’t have the common sense to close said beaches when people start washing up on the shore half-eaten.

The original Jaws is an indisputable classic, with director Steven Spielberg showing just how good he was even at a young age — he was just 29 when the movie was released — while a cast that includes Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfus, and the irrepressible Robert Shaw just run a masterclass in how to keep a viewer glued to the screen. The follow-ups are… slightly less impressive, to understate things quite considerably, although there’s an undeniable charm in seeing just how strange and bad they really get: by the time you get to the fourth movie, the credibility of the first has been almost entirely jettisoned in favor of Michael Caine visibly thinking about his tan as he fails to be convincingly scared of a shark that, admittedly, looks awe-inspiringly fake.

(Sadly, Jaws 3 won’t be presented in 3-D, as it was originally shot; however, you can make a fun drinking game out of noting all the scenes intended to have things thrown in the 3-D viewing audience’s faces.)

Even if you’re not the kind of viewer who enjoys trash, the Jaws franchise remains a must-see: along with the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s one of the first movie series to really create the blockbuster franchise as it exists today, and as such is a legitimate piece of movie history. Never mind the killer shark movie genre — as strange as it might seem, you don’t get the MCU without Jaws… and by bringing the entire series onto Netflix, audiences can get a chance to see the connections for themselves.

The Jaws series will be streaming on Netflix September 1.

Once you’re done with Jaws, expand your killer shark repertoire with these pieces of underwater mayhem.