Extraordinary, Engaging, Brilliant, Revealing

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2009)

The basic premise of this film follows a young man who tries to reconcile the truth and lies of his father's life before his death.
Tim Burton's masterpiece draws you into a world that is simultaneously so grounded in reality and fantasy that the viewer will have trouble separating the fact from the fiction. This dichotomy characterizes essentially the whole premise of the movie, and develops many of the themes and sentiment.
Visually, this film is a stunner, with beautiful hues and grandiose landscapes. One scene covers the whole screen with a field of gorgeous gold daises.
Interestingly, the seemingly bizarre and irrelevant stories that Edward Bloom become more and more simple, beautiful, and believable as the movie unfolds. Brilliantly, his story telling comes full circle at the end of the film, and the viewer is somewhat able to reconcile Edward Bloom's imagination with the actuality of his fascinating history.
Not only does this film allow for deep analysis and retrospect, it possesses all of the qualities of great film. An exciting and engaging story, beautiful landscapes, fabulous settings, and most importantly, fascinating character interactions. This film is undoubtedly my favorite.
You will NOT regret watching this film. I can guarantee that.