Burton lets another one get away

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2004)

Big Fish has its moments, but they are thinly spread through this surprisingly sluggish fable from Tim Burton. Largely bereft of his customary dark exuberance, his Gump-like tale flounders where it should float, weighed down by unnecessary sentimentality and laboured scenes that lose their punch.
Nothing really happens when young Bloom gets lost in a creepy wood or caught in a storm or when he joins the circus or after he robs a bank. Somehow, his tall story just doesn't seem tall enough.
Burton's previous flights of fancy have always had a flaw that I've never been able to put my finger on, but I think I've finally got it: he shows too much restraint. Beetlejuice should have been crazier. Batman was dark but not dark enough. Edward Scissorhands was blunted by cuteness. Mars Attacks! needed more subversion. Sleepy Hollow needed more Christopher Walken. Planet Of The Apes was just a mistake. Ironically, his best film is the one most grounded in reality: Ed Wood.
Expectations are always high when we hear the words `from the imagination of Tim Burton'. It's high time he let it run riot.