The Storyteller

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2004)

It's rather ironic that Tim Burton has found himself making `Big Fish.' He's famously known for utilizing attention-grabbing visuals to slide the story into a slightly offbeat fantasy world and is often criticized for being more in tune with the esthetics rather than script details. Still, he works under scrutiny from the critics in a medium that tells the tallest of tales but to an audience that is divided over the best way of telling them. Some love the storybook method of adventure and the fantastic, while others don't buy into it and prefer a movie with a heavy foot planted firmly on solid ground. Those of you in the latter will not enjoy Burton's movies but may tolerate them. This is the message in `Big Fish.' It is between Edward Bloom and his son, Will. They both have different perceptions of what is important and what is baloney.
The fantasy genre is slowly making a stand for itself after years of being second to others in the Hollywood vocab. In `Big Fish' they make extra evident that fantasy is far more intoxicating than reality and that you can find boundless pleasure in its escapism. Yet `Big Fish' not only tells an entertaining story but it also invokes the imagination. Tim Burton is a very good storyteller, I think, because his visual eye is perfect for the big screen. This time Burton and company manage to combine the best of all elements and make a truly amazing film.
This whimsical Tim Burton movie keeps a finger on the human elements, emotion and spirit. The manner in which it is told, with amazing characters found in tall tales, is inherently likeable, as a good yarn has always been over many generations. There is nothing too deep here, just a good story to be shared with the world. And that's the fundamental nature of going to the movies in the first place, to listen to an entertaining story, and this one is told with enthusiasm and heart. `Big Fish' will be as good as you want it to be. The general message is this and it's important to appreciate how the way a story is told can effect your very perception. You must first give into it, kind of like a leap of faith for some, but once you've let go of the world the story will happily reel you in hook, line and sinker.
4 out of 5