Phonearl
Good start, but then it gets ruined
Seraherrera
The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Ginger
Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
rannynm
An emotional masterpiece, Big Fish & Begonia is an artistically magical and thought provoking piece of anime. The animation is beautiful. I felt as if I was watching a classic painting come to life. The story is unforgettable. Each scene left my heart yearning for the characters to succeed. The story follows a humble, brave girl name Chun who dedicates her life to help a kind boy, Kun, who gives his life to save hers after she travels from her magical to his human world. She goes to great lengths to bring him back and gives him all her love and care. However, when a variety of obstacles threaten Kun's survival, Chun risks everything to save him. The animation is mystical and brings Chun's fantastical land to life. The characters from Chun's world are unique and their strange characteristics bring a special quality that is unlike other films. Many characters have a quirky addition such as antlers or a completely other-worldly face with multiple eyes. These subtle additions enhance the fresh and original elements the film specializes in. The backgrounds and scenery take the animation to the next level. The water and ocean play a huge role in the film and the animation transforms the water, displaying its beauty and importance. At night the ocean reflects the sky, its stars and the sublime hues present; while during the day it is almost invisible and many objects look like they are floating through air. One of the most notable animation feats is the scenery. In many favorite parts we see Chun running across landscapes and the camera captures her world in the most artistic way.The emotions of this film left me in awe, showing the friendship and love these characters are capable of. In every scene, I was either smiling or in tears because of the sacrifices they make for each other and for each others' happiness. The music enhances the mood of these scenes with a mysterious and peaceful quality. The messages of Big Fish and Begonia are: 1. If your conscience is clear, it doesn't matter what others think and 2. Follow your heart. I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 14 to 18. Reviewed by Sahiba K., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.
manuelasaez
The standard for animated excellence is usually boiled down to how well it compares to a Ghibli film. No other studio makes animated films with such vision, creativity and originality. I was shocked to find a similar work ethic in this Chinese film, and I have to say, if they keep it up, we actually might have another contender to the throne. This movie does so many things right, that I could go on and on taking up valuable site space, so I'll just condense my review to as simple a review as possible; Watch this movie by any means necessary. The animation is beautiful the story is touching, the music is transcendent. It is a marvel of modern storytelling, and it deserves to be seen by everyone with a pulse. SEE THIS MOVIE.Seriously.
Rós Vailintín
When I walked out of the cinema last Sunday, I heard a man said to his girlfriend behind me, 'A waste of money, innit?' Many people says that. I've read a review before watching it, and the reviewer mainly held that the scenes were certainly beautiful, and we could see that the crew had dedicated all for it, but according to the plot, Chun ignored her family, her friends, ignored Qiu who genuinely loved her, even her entire world, to pay the life back to a human boy who had once saved her, and this needed to be reconsidered. Well, I admit that this animation is not perfect, whether it's the plot, or the characters, or the pictures. But I feel that this work should be judged in a purer way, and not to focus too much on whether the deeds of Chun were 'worthy' or not. The concept of 'worthy' is different for a teen and an adult, and here, for a sixteen-year-old girl, what she did was worthy. It's extremely childish, childishly selfish, but it's what she believed was right, and she wasn't all unreasonable. Let's think in another way. What were all the grown-ups doing? Trying to eliminate Kun. Why? Because he saved Chun, and Chun wanted to pay her debt of gratitude, which caused all the disorders of their world. Was this reasonable then? Couldn't they spare a bit of the effort they paid to kill Kun to hold the situation back when it first became urgent? They probably could. Chun actually stopped the sky from cracking by giving everything she had to her grandpa. If all others had stood together like how they built the bridge, it probably would have costed less to do it. But they gave their all to kill another life they thought was blamable, and if they had succeeded, Chun would have died too, and they would be sad and would regret, and someone else would lose half a lifetime to bring her back. In fact, no one in this entire animation was absolutely reasonable, neither there was in the real world. I suggest that we put the adult logic away for a while, and appreciate the effort the crew paid and the pure 'life for life' values. I'm not comparing it to other Chinese animations because I haven't watched them, but it deserves 3 stars for pictures, 3 stars for voice and music, and 1 star for thestory.
i-73517
It's not only a movie about love,but also a movie about dedication and toredeem.It's not clearly said what it want to show,but if you see the second time,it will be better.So i think it's a good movie. Some people who only see the movie one time is hard to make a gooe comment,because it's so obscure that hard to see.Da Hai is not like the movies made by Hollywood,it like a novel more,which want the viewers to watch twice or more in order to understand it.When I see some people think the love story in the movie is very unpleasant,I really want to tell them:it's better for you to see the twice time,because it never tell a love story,but a philosophy story.