Tim Burton is one of the most iconic filmmakers to come out of modern cinema. His visual style is one that is hard to top when it comes to creating fantastical worlds that you want to immerse yourself within. His output has become somewhat rote in this later stage of his career, but his early filmography is littered with all-time cult favorites such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Batman. The story that serves somewhat as the culmination of his creativity is the 2003 fantasy family-drama Big Fish. Burton is wonderful at creating magic on screen, but it is the personal nature of this story that makes this particular film one of the most poignant of his career. Based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace, the narrative of a father and son trying to mend a fractured relationship while sorting out the fact from fiction in the father’s life story finds Burton in top form. Should you let the truth get in the way of telling a good story? Can the spirit of a tall tale reveal more about a person than reality ever could? The answers are somewhere within this joyous and beautiful exploration of life.
Edward Bloom has lived a fantastical life ever since he popped out of his mother in the most grand fashion. At least, that is how he tells it to anyone who happens to be in earshot. A born storyteller, the elderly Edward, played with magnificent buoyancy in the present by Albert Finney (Miller’s Crossing), takes every opportunity to tell tales of the enormous catfish he caught with his wedding ring or the friendly giant he befriended. He is the life of any party, except in the eyes of his frustrated son, Will (Billy Crudup, Watchmen). Will used to hang on his father’s every word, but at some point in his life he became tired of hearing these larger-than-life tales and yearned for something truthful. With a cancer diagnosis putting Edward closer to the end of his life than ever, Will is trying to use the little time he has left to reconcile with his father and finally get some genuine insights into his life. This father-son dynamic is an emotional gut-punch to anyone who has ever felt that they do not know their parents as well as they would like, and these two actors pull it off with a heart wrenching authenticity.
Where you can really peg this as a Burton film is in Edward’s recollection of the past. Even outside of the wondrous elements inherent in his story, the visual aesthetic of the film changes from a more muted motif to something visually splendid. Our proxy for Edward as a young man is the great Ewan McGregor, who was steadily building up his prowess for comedy and lighthearted drama with turns in Moulin Rouge! and Down With Love. Edward proves to be one of McGregor’s strongest performances as he embarks on his quest to live a life equal to his enormous ambition. The fairy tale vignette approach of the feature works incredibly well as you meet various colorful characters and explore new environments at every turn. It is impressive to see the ensemble attached to the film, from a circus ringmaster (Danny DeVito) to a long-lost poet (Steve Buscemi) to various other fascinating figures. It is the epic romance with the delightful Sandra (Alison Lohman and Jessica Lange) that anchors the unbelievable in something heartfelt. In the end the film always comes back to love.
It is no secret that Burton has the ability to be a master craftsman, but the way in which he applies his eye to this story is one his greatest achievements. Burton is a fan of practical special effects, and without them this film would have lost a great deal of its Gothic charm. For a film filled with mermaids, werewolves, giants and witches, Edward’s stories are made all the more believable for the audience thanks to the way in which Burton presents them. At just a touch over two hours, this movie flies as it effectively moves from story to story without sacrificing the personal quality of each interaction. Every moment goes toward building a full-formed world that serves as a measurement of a life well lived. Whether it is all completely truthful is irrelevant in the end, as the man who is telling these stories is revealing an approximation of what impacted him during his lifetime. We may never completely know those closest to us as well as we want to, but sometimes if you can catch a glimpse at a person’s soul, that is enough. Burton has delivered a deeply moving tale that champions the humanity of connecting with others through storytelling. It is not only one of his best, but one of the great films of the early 2000s.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Big Fish offers a noticeable uptick in quality over the already strong accompanying Blu-Ray, itself remastered and an upgrade from the ancient Blu-Ray. The greatest gain is in the employment of the color spectrum. The HDR really harnesses the visual wonder that Burton has on display and features it to its full potential. One only has to look as far as the famous scene of Edward and Sandra in the daffodils to experience visual brilliance. Colors are more rich, natural and accurate to what was intended by the creative team. Even the more drab colors such as the shades of brown and grey in the haunted woods offer a glorious stability. The highlights in the film are more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. The black levels are especially awe-inspiring in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail.
This transfer sports a picture that has glorious film grain that resolves perfectly without being clumpy or unnatural. There has been no digital tinkering on this transfer, so this disc is free of DNR, compression artifacts and other encode issues. Skin tones appear way more natural with healthy doses of fine detail apparent on faces such as pores. The production design that is a signature of Burton films is presented with immense depth and perfect clarity. Take a look at the scenes inside the circus tent to see a wide array of minute details that are visible for the first time ever on disc. The costumes and textural output of the scenery is simply marvelous to behold with everything rendering without any issues. This is a very natural looking transfer that offers up a flawless presentation that should please fans of the film.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray utilizes a Dolby Atmos track that gives the film’s dynamic soundscape a real vitality and immersive quality. There is an emphasis on the front channels for a good portion of the sounds, but activity extends to the surrounds, rears and overhead speakers to make the world feel more robust and all-encompassing. The sounds up above are not constant, but they are present enough to keep the listening experience quite engaging. The film really satisfies when it comes to the music, as the magical Danny Elfman score washes over you in a really satisfying, enveloping way. Dialogue is crisp and clear without ever getting lost amongst the music or sound effects. The low end effects from the subwoofer give certain moments that much-needed extra weight to enrich the world, such as the mammoth footsteps from the giant that shake the room. Atmospheric sound effects are rendered appropriately within the mix so that directionality is never an issue. Big Fish is not an action-packed film by any stretch of the imagination, but the expanded audio track allows the film to feel more three dimensional and precise.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Author Mark Salisbury moderates this commentary track with director Tim Burton that provides many interesting insights into the production of the film. Burton is up for exploring the therapeutic nature of the story, the challenges during production, his experiences working with the performers and much more. This track keeps the energy up pretty consistently throughout the runtime.
- Original EPK
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- Behind The Scenes: A 14-minute piece that allows the viewer to act like a fly on the wall during the production of various scenes. You get to see some of Burton’s directorial notes to the performers, some goofing around and more fun moments.
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- Interviews: A nearly 25-minute series of interviews with Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Alison Lohman, Steve Buscemi, Danny De Vito, Tim Burton, Richard D. Zanuck, Bruce Cohen, and Dan Jinks. These are mostly short bursts of information, but generally entertaining.
- The Character’s Journey: A 21-minute piece consisting of three parts that covers the larger than life nature of Edward’s stories, the performances from the two generations of actors, the role of Danny De Vito in the film, and the relationship between Will and Edward.
- The Filmmakers’ Path: A four-part, 31-minute featurette that delves into the cast and their appreciation of Burton, his approach to filmmaking, technical feats, the visual aesthetic of the “tall tales”, pivotal supporting characters, creature designs, special effects, and the author of the original source material . There is a lot of great material in here for fans of the film.
- Easter Eggs: Two pieces totaling three minutes that take a closer look at the “freeze circus” scene, as well as a fun bit with Burton on a golf cart.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute HD trailer is provided here which offers a good representation of the film.
Final Thoughts
Big Fish is one of the greatest films to come from visionary director Tim Burton. The heartbreaking themes of father-son estrangement mixed with the fantasy elements inherent in the narrative is deeply affecting from beginning to end. Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney are two standouts on a deeply talented bench of performers that bring this magical world to life. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has thankfully given this gem of a picture a 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrade that sports a stellar A/V presentation and an assortment of special features not previously available on the Blu-Ray. This is a film that deserves a place in your collection, and this is the version to own. Highly Recommended
Big Fish is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
