Review of Big Eyes (2014) by Andrew H — 01 May 2015

How wonderful to watch Burton scale back and, as a result, direct his best film in ages. It is, of course, still unmistakably Burtonesque, with colors so bright they almost burn your eyes, and a haunted & subtly bizarre heroine with whom he clearly empathizes.

The downside is that it's also Burtonesque in that it tends to play too big when it really should go smaller, and anything truly disturbing is given a comedic tilt that offsets how upsetting it could (or maybe should) be.

That being said, this is still his most mature and understated work in over a decade, and it tells an interesting story in a charming and ultimately uplifting way. His cast is a big help, too, as they're all fantastic.

Amy Adams' work in the lead is especially remarkable: whenever Burton begins to lift off his feet, she summons the gravity that grounds him again.