Review of Big Fish (2003) by Johnny T — 17 Nov 2011

A tale that's so enriching, so heartwarming, so funny, so touching and so breathtaking, you'll wonder why the king of wackiness didn't branch out sooner. Director Tim Burton finally hooks the one that got away: a script that challenges and deepens his visionary talent. A word of warning. Big Fish is so strange and so literary that audiences seeking conventional fare may get impatient with it. But it always takes effort to catch the big ones. This one is worth it. Even with Burton's imagination turning its trademark cartwheels, the film's big beating heart holds the whimsical offshoots steady. Burton rebounds in a big way with Big Fish, a Daniel Wallace adaptation and visual feast that recaptures the fairy-tale simplicity and wrenching emotional power of "Edward Scissorhands." Even with Burton's imagination turning its trademark cartwheels, the film's big beating heart holds the whimsical offshoots steady. Big Fish really is a big delight.

VERDICT: "Full Price" - My second highest rating (Positive to Mixed reaction). This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent.