The Big Blue

Great idea. Very interesting execution. What about the result? It’s very hard to express, I had a hard time even with the rating in this case. Besson has a very distinctive style, he can turn an intimate human story into a gripping and compelling spectacle, as he did in Leon or La Femme Nikita. But this one is a completely different film and it will depend a lot on the nature and the tolerance of the viewer. Everyone will probably react differently to a story about the rivalry between two old friends, which is kept at a very slow pace throughout, lacks any special effects and plays on emotions. But Besson put his whole filmmaking heart into it, and that had an impact on the result, with an unforgettable ending that is a beautiful signature over this small but at the same time huge film. (05/28/2012)

It's interesting to follow the journey of a filmmaker who was considered a phenomenon in the 1980s and nowadays no one is too sure whether the trust placed in him was a disappointment or just exaggerated expectations. Be that as it may, it's now a piece of history and the French touch of Besson is not nearly as engaging as it once was. However, in hindsight, it's quite interesting to watch then-star Rosanna Arquette in a very natural role (remember those sassy, unattractive girls of hers?), Jean-Marc Barr (who I otherwise only see in von Trier projects), and Reno, who I never know what to think of (are those poses of his still cool today)? (06/16/2017)

I like movies that look like their storyboards, I like Cinéma du look, I like the sea and Jean Reno. By contrast, however, I find sports in general to be eminently moronic performances, and watching overgrown kids measure their depths then makes it impossible to accept this great, fatal, fateful plane rising above the rules of civilization. (08/14/2021)

The Big Blue is a beautiful film in terms of its depth of thought and the poetics of its story. I’m willing to forgive it for its wild mixing of drama and comedy; after all, it’s French. What I can’t forgive, however, is the stark visual concept, which takes it off the movie screen and puts it on a television screen. I expect visual appeal from the creator of The Professional, La Femme Nikita and Atlantis. (05/21/2002)

It lacks a proper visual concept. Occasionally, it looks like a cheap made-for-TV production rather than a work of the famous Luc Besson. A few nice deep shots, several scenes with dolphins, and that's about all that’s worth mentioning. Only Eric Serra didn't disappoint, he gain composed perfect music that can easily rival his greatest works (La Femme Nikita, Leon). (12/18/2004)