Review of Big Fish

Introduction

After the disappointment of "Planet of the Apes", Tim Burton has returned to the familiar, quirky territory of previous hit "Edward Scissorhands". Small-town America can be just as weird as anywhere on the planet when it wants to, and "Big Fish" is weird writ large.

Adapted from Daniel Wallace`s novel, "Big Fish" is the life story of terminally ill Ed Bloom (Albert Finney). He has always told tall tales about his past to anyone who will listen. Unfortunately his son Will (Billy Crudup) has heard the stories once too often and refuses to believe any of them. A bust-up at Will`s wedding leads to an estrangement between them for four years, that only ends when Ed falls ill and Will returns home with his wife to help his mother (Jessica Lange).

Ed`s tales are as fantastic as any Baron Munchhausen might tell, featuring a giant, a travelling circus, a witch and of course a very big fish. Will finds himself trying to unravel tall tales from truth in a bid to reconcile himself with his father.

Ewan McGregor plays Ed Bloom in flashback, having all of the weird and wonderful adventures. Tim Burton`s missus Helena Bonham-Carter turns up as a one-eyed witch who sees into the future with her glass eye, and as Jenny one of the residents of the peculiar little town of Spectre. Steve Buscemi and Danny DeVito put in similarly quirky supporting roles as a poet-turned-bank-robber and the werewolf ringmaster of the travelling circus respectively.

Always whimsical, charming and oddball, "Big Fish" has to be Tim Burton`s most warmhearted picture.

Video

After the unusually restrained visuals of "Planet Of The Apes", Brton is back on top form with his genuinely striking flair for wild flights of fancy. The image is flawless, bright of colour and perfect of contrast. The movie is presented in the original 1.85:1.

Audio

The soundtrack is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. As the visuals are a treat for the eyes, the sound is a treat for the ears. Long time collaborator Danny Elfman has contributed a soundtrack that is rich in original music from the fifties to the present day, reflecting the life of the chief protagonist.

Features

Tim Burton offers an audio commentary. Instead of volunteering any information he`s interviewed, which gives the yak track a more structured form than the usual will-you-shut-up-in-the-back-? variety.

There are seven featurettes (three about the characters in the film, four about the production). There are pieces about Tim Burton, writer Daniel Wallace, the fantastic elements of the film, and the special effects.

"Fish Tales" is a white-rabbit option to watch the film and flick out to the featurettes whenever the icon comes up on screen.

There is a trivia quiz with a reward clip about the "time standing still" sequence.

There are trailers for Big Fish, Spider Man 2, 50 First Dates, Radio and Mona Lisa Smile (all of which will go on my future shopping list).

Conclusion

Tim Burton`s take on the "Forrest Gump" or "It`s A Wonderful Life" variety of whimsical life story. Being Tim Burton, the story is told with relish for the weird. This is the story of Ed Bloom, an absolutely stand-up, salt-of-the-earth sort of bloke who rescues dogs from fires, befriends giants and catches enormous catfish with his wedding ring (lucky he didn`t have a fishing buddy called Smeagol, that`s all I can say). If he has one problem it`s his propensity for telling tall stories.

Hollywood can be very good at whimsy. There was a point where they`d lost the knack, but Tim Burton has shown himself to be a master of the art. "Big Fish" is the best thing he`s done since "Beetlejuice" ("Edward Scissorhands" was a little too maudlin). Sheer class.