The movie's ending is way different from the book's. Believe it or not, in the book the shark just drowns after Quint harpoons it (though not before Quint is drowned himself). Having the shark just sink to the bottom of the ocean after succumbing to exhaustion seemed a little anticlimactic to boy wonder Stephen Spielberg. The film really goes out with a bang (#sorrynotsorry), and the two heroes paddle home unafraid of the water.

Although there was some discussion about killing off Hooper (like in the book), the producers thought the duo's triumphal return home was "what the audience wanted," and we totally agree. Fun fact: As the pulverized shark carcass sinks into the deep in a swirling cloud of blood, you can hear a faint roar. Hear it? Yeah, that's a dinosaur sound effect from an old B movie (source).