An excellent movie -- one of the most beautiful films ever made.

Rating: 10/10 (21 February 1999)

Plot aside, 'The Big Blue' is one of the best movies I've ever seen. The visuals are unsurpassed -- exquisite and achingly beautiful.
The movie shows much better in the European version -- where Jacques dies in the end. The U.S. distributors ruined the movie -- they changed the ending for release in the U.S., thinking that American audiences would be repelled by the sad ending. However, the new, happier ending resulted in a confused movie. Added to that, there was very little advertisement or marketing in the U.S. -- it was not released on many screens. It opened and left the theaters very quickly.
In any case, no amount of editing/chopping can hide Luc Besson's stunning cinematography. It is one of the most beautiful movies ever made.