Big Fish is perhaps one of my favorite films from Tim Burton, one with a wonderful emotional core and features great performances from Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor.
Big Fish
(2003)
Genre(s): Drama, Fantasy
Sony| PG – 125 min. – $30.99 | March 4, 2021
Date Published: 05/23/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Note: The screen captures in this review were taken from the included Blu-ray disc
and does not represent the quality of the 4K transfer.
THE MOVIE — 4½/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When Edward Bloom (ALBERT FINNEY) becomes ill, his son, William (BILLY CRUDUP), travels to be with him. William has a strained relationship with Edward because his father has always told exaggerated stories about his life, and William thinks he’s never really told the truth. Even on his deathbed, Edward recounts fantastical anecdotes.
Quick Hit Review: Big Fish is a film that I last saw probably back in theaters in 2003 and despite 18 years gone by, the enjoyment factor still remains pretty much the same. I have to saw, this likely the best film Tim Burton has done (saying that having not seen Edward Scissorhands in years) with a wonderful and emotional finale. The performances all around, but mainly Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor, playing older and younger versions of the main character, were fantastic and some special mentions to Billy Crudup as his son and Jessica Lange as the dutiful wife.
Beyond the acting, Burton’s trademark direction with his unique style is on display but not overbearing or obnoxious (see Alice in Wonderland), the most notable sequence I liked was when young Bloom walks into the secret town of Spectre and mingles with its distinctive set of citizens. Or any scenes with Karl the Giant (played with great gentleness by the late Matthew McGrory). All around Big Fish is just a wonderful film worth checking out if you haven’t already. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3¾/5 |
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This two-disc release comes in a standard black slim case. Inside is the redemption code for the Digital HD copy as well as the Blu-ray disc which contains all of the bonus material. Original EPK (38:53) contains “Behind the Scenes” and “Interviews”. Lengthy and fairly interesting to watch as the BTS is more of a fly-on-the-wall. The Character’s Journey (20:43) — Split into three parts, this featurette looks at the variety of characters including Edward Bloom young and old. The Filmmakers’ Path (30:41) is on Tim Burton and his unique sense of style and storytelling. Director’s Commentary with Tim Burton and Moderated by Mark Salisbury Last up are a set of Easter Eggs (3:09) and the Theatrical Trailer (2:21). |
4K ULTRA HD VIDEO – 5/5, BLU-RAY VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
| Sony Pictures lets loose of Big Fish onto the 4K Ultra HD format, presented in its original theatrical 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer. The picture here looks quite good, if not exactly exceptional, the detail is extremely sharp and nicely defined and colors are bright and vibrant with slight aid by the HDR. There were no apparent bouts of artifacting, aliasing or other flaws.
The technical part of this review is focused on the 4K Ultra HD format, but should be noted it does appear the Blu-ray is newer than the original one from 2007 as the picture does look rather good and fairly close to the 4K resolution, just not quite as sharp. |
4K ULTRA HD AUDIO – 4½/5, BLU-RAY AUDIO – 4½/5 |
| The movie includes a Dolby Atmos track that is a decent upgrade over the original Blu-ray which was PCM 5.1 (the included Blu-ray in this release is now DTS-HD MA 5.1). Dialogue comes through the center speaker with good clarity and depth is decent with ambient noises and side dialogue makes good usage of the front and rear channels. |
OVERALL – 4½/5 |
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Big Fish is perhaps one of my favorite films from Tim Burton, one with a wonderful emotional core and features great performances from Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor. If for whatever reason this passed you by, give it a chance, it’s well worth it. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.