Well neither the rogue shark that eats humans nor the alien in Alien actually exist. Which is more realistic is based on how they would behave if they existed. I think Alien did a lot of research on the psychology of fear. Even if an alien like that doesn't exist I thought it was a convincing portrayal of what could exist. But I don't think the shark in Jaws could exist. It's too big and sharks don't prey on humans. Maybe the book was more realistic, but the movie wasn't.
If we're talking about which creature is more realistic I am inclined to favor Alien. I recognize the argument that sharks are actual animals, but I don't think that outweighs the other elements. If we're talking about which movie is more realistic overall then there is no contest. Alien is way more realistic in almost every other way. The only other aspect Jaws even has an argument for being more realistic in is it's setting. But I would even argue that Alien has a more realistic portrayal of space travel and life on a space ship than Jaws has of modern 70's life.
These are interesting points, but by that logic, if Jaws was actually a shark that had been infected by an alien parasite, that'd make it more realistic. It's disingenuous.
Yeah, technically that would give an explanation for why the shark acts like it does (and ditto on the alien because according to you, this is how an alien could exist. An alien can be anything) but would it make the movie better? Giving an explanation for why a shark doesn't act like a shark takes away that very primal fear of the unknown that works so well in Alien.
Bruce isn't portrayed this way due to bad judgment or poor research. A significant portion of fear comes from things not going our way. As a shark, Bruce is completely unpredictable and yet, not completely unrealistic. You're forgetting the fact that sharks on occasion do attack humans aggressively- it's not normal of course but it happens.
Bears are not known to attack humans when not disturbed or protecting cubs, yet there are instances of hikers being ripped to shreds by bears without provocation.
Just as us humans have unsavory examples who turn out to be school shooters and serial killers, it's not unrealistic that there would be exceptions to the shark rule.
And you can't say any alien is realistic at all. It can't be realistic because aliens are not known to exist at all, let alone in this fashion. Something that is completely fictional cannot be touted as realistic in any sense.
However, it can FEEL real, which brings great merit to the director for creating a fictional character that feels real. I will agree to some extent that the alien in Alien feels like more of a realistic, tangible, threat than Bruce.
However, what I feel Jaws does so much better is the aspect of suspense. That's what makes Jaws scarier/more interesting- not the realism, but the suspense and the sudden shock of each attack. Alien does that, but not as well. And that's completely subjective. You may disagree with this and there's nothing I can do to refute your opinion since that's just how our brains work differently. Different people are fascinated by different things.
Great discussions so far. I love how the vote is still dead even.