Daniel Wallace’s novel and John August’s screenplay makes for a spectacular movie.
There are stories within a story and the audience really does not know what to believe. At a certain point in the movie I thought could all this be true or is the entire story a fabrication.
With books and movies there is a certain amount of poetic licence and I am very familiar with the concept. Tim Burton’s films seem to extrapolate the boundaries of imagination.
Burton has always been a visionary when it comes to his projects. The attention to detail is alway top tier in his projects and the audience is taken on a beautiful ride of entertainment. For example, Burton tracked down Billy Redden to do a cameo in the movie. Redden is the infamous banjo player from the movie, Deliverance. The scene with Redden playing the banjo is so subtle that only a fan of Burton’s work would notice.
Helena Bonham Carter's character weaving itself throughout the film is also another Tim Burton signature move. Carter’s chameleon style of acting on each Tim Burton movie is always impressive and she delivers in Big Fish.
The story of Big Fish is so overpowering Burton does not use his love of stop motion to get his message across. No gimmicks and overdone CGI makes this film a pleasure to watch.
Each actor brings a uniqueness to each scene due to their quirky acting style. If you like Steve Buscemi or Danny DeVito you know exactly what I am talking about.
Big Fish is now one of my favourite Tim Burton films and you should seek it out if you have not already.
Kevin Lazzari, owner of Video Stop, is reviewing movies for the Fitzhugh.
Big Fish (2003) is available on DVD, Blu-ray and for digital download.
