After a string of mediocre movies, director Tim Burton regains his footing as he shifts from macabre fairy tales to Southern tall tales. Big Fish twines in and out of the oversized stories of Edward Bloom, played as a young man by Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge, Down with Love) and as a dying father by Albert Finney (Tom Jones). Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup, Almost Famous) sits by his father's bedside but has little patience with the old man's fables, because he feels these stories have kept him from knowing who his father really is. Burton dives into Bloom's imagination with zest, sending the determined young man into haunted woods, an idealized Southern town, a traveling circus, and much more. The result is sweet but--thanks to the director's dark and clever sensibility--never saccharine. Also featuring Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, and Steve Buscemi. --Bret Fetzer
| ISBN | 1404930388 |
| Title | Big Fish |
| Directed By | Tim Burton |
| Label | Sony Pictures |
| MPAA Rating | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) |
| Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 |
| Format |
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| Brand | Sony |
| Studio | Sony Pictures |
| Starring | Ewan McGregor,Albert Finney,Billy Crudup,Jessica Lange,Helena Bonham Carter |
| Running Time | 125 minutes |
| Release Date | 2004-04-27 |
| Manufacturer | Sony Pictures |
| Publisher | Sony Pictures |
| Original Release Date | 2004-01-09 |
| Region Code | 99 |
| Theatrical Release Date | 2004-01-09 |
| UPC | 043396008373 |
| EAN | 9781404930384 |
| Number Of Discs | 1 |
| MPN | 043396008373 |
| Creator |
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Review by Bright Eyes, 2010-08-28
Excellent book, builds the story well, and delivers with a punch that grabs you and then the tears flow.
Review by R. Suarez Giacoman, 2010-08-10
Based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace, Big Fish tells the story of William Bloom and his reconciliation with his dying father through the stories he used to hear from his father when he was a kid. This is without a doubt one of my favorite Burton films, filled with visual moments that follow the 'Burton formula' but with a story that goes way too far from your average Burton movie. Many reviews already exist about the film itself so I will now proceed to talk about the release and explain why I gave this only 3 stars being a favorite film of mine.
THE MOVIE
The movie is presented in anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1. Color is generally consistent and looks well in HD, but not as well as it should . It would seem a if the film has been manipulated as there is a softer look in it that I do not remember seeing at the theater; close ups that should normally look detailed look way too soft and with a 'waxy' effect. Scenes that I was looking forward to see in high detail look dull and not as they should for a Bluray release (the circus sequence, the whole arrival to Spectre or the daffodil scene are two examples that come to mind) The video quality is indeed an improvement over the existing DVD, in color at least, but there is no doubt this could have looked way better than it does in this release.
Audio tracks included are uncompressed English PCM 5.1 (which sounds incredible in the few scenes that take advantage of an HD sound system), English and French 5.1. Subtitles included are English, English SDH, French, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai
THE EXTRAS
Prior to getting this, I owned the existing DVD release that included among the extras an audio commentary with director Tim Burton, some mini documentaries about the story and the characters as well as some other features hidden as 'Easter eggs'. Well, all those extras but the director commentary are gone in the Bluray disc. The hidden extras are also nowhere to be found, so the director commentary is pretty much the only extra feature included in this release. If you, like me, have heard a Tim Burton commentary before, you may already know you cannot expect great things from it nor interesting information, Burton passes most of the time silent and when he talks it is usually to make a joke or point out something that may not be relevant at all. Trailers of other feature films in BD are also included.
Overall, an average upgrade from the DVD, if you are a person who likes to watch documentaries and extras on how a film was made, you may want to get the DVD instead or keep your copy if you already own it. Hopefully we will have a special edition Bluray some day that features a new remastered in HD that does to justice to this film, visually speaking.
Review by D. McCormick, 2010-07-31
This film demonstrates the great potential of the cinematic arts. Storytelling at its best. A compelling emotional experience. Brilliantly written, casted and acted, with a moderate, restrained use of special effects. The blu-ray presentation is nothing short of perfect.
Review by Teresa L. Barry, 2010-06-03
This movie is one of Tim Burton's best films so far! We have owned the DVD since it was released and I just bought it on BluRay! We just watched Mr. Burton's Alice in Wonderland and it was great!!! We own that too now. I love Tim Burton's films - the acting, the musical score (Danny Elfman), the stories are magical and fabulous, and the visuals are spectacular! The cinematography perfect. He makes magic happen with every film! There are many - check out his works!
Review by mtrimmy, 2010-05-18
I can't help but smile (even when I bawl like a baby at the end) every time I watch it. This film has such a positive message that motivated me to get back to the imaginative mindset that I had as a kid, rather than letting the negative, realistic influences in society today get to me. This film never fails to make me happy and fall in love with it all over again each time I watch it. You're missing out on something wonderful if you haven't seen this film. Go watch it!
