Big Fish and Begonia - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Big Fish and Begonia

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
When we think of truly masterful foreign animated films, China is usually the last country we think of to provide them. Places like France and Japan have been gracing us with truly incredible works for decades, with Studio Ghibli and the Miyazaki films taking center stage for truly wowing people of all generations. However, that pattern has been thrown for a loop when last year’s Chinese box office smash, Big Fish and Begonia, took all sorts of awards and accolades home from the various foreign film festivals. I have been EAGERLY awaiting the flick ever since it was announced for home video, but was mildly suspicious due to how poorly most Chinese animated films really are historically. As a fan of Studio Ghibli I’ve become am little bit of a snob when it comes to Asian animation (the Koreans are actually catching up I might add), but was truly blown away by the tale of love, sacrifice and fantasy that came out of this lyrical Chinese mythology film. I say this with no small amount of weight, but Big Fish and Begonia is one to challenge the greats like Spirited Away, Princess Monnonoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle, for truly magical animated experiences.

In a hidden world, deep below ours, lives a group of humanoid beings that control the elements of nature in our world. While we are “normal” and short lived, these beings contain magical abilities based upon the Earth elements, and use them to control and guide nature up above them, living hundreds of years, if not more. As a rite of passage, the young beings (known as “others”) get to visit our world for a grand total of 7 days, and then have to return home. When a young other named Chun (Guanlin Ji) comes to our world as a red dolphin, she accidentally starts a chain reaction of events when she becomes trapped in a fisherman’s net. A young human boy swims out to cut her free from the net, but accidentally is knocked out and drowned by the thrashing of Chun’s fish body. Horrified at the loss of life, Chun returns home to grieve for the death that she caused.

When home, Chun learns that there is hope for the young man’s soul. When humans die, they go to the spirit realm where they are reincarnated as a fish and their spirit will one day grow to maturity and re-populate the earth. Striking a deal with an otherworldly caretaker, Chun gives the ultimate gift. In exchange for reincarnating the young man’s soul, she is forced to give up half of her life span and their two souls with will be intertwined as a result. The only stipulation is that the young “other” has to guard over the fish’s growth and once he gains full size, he can return to the world above. The only problem is that if the two are ever separated, or the fish dies, Chun’s life will end.

Big Fish and Begonia is much more than just a child’s fantasy film. Like Spirited Away (I have a strange sense of de ja vu whenever I watch this one) the story is visually and narratively accessible to the younger generation, but under the surface it is much much deeper and obviously intended for a more mature viewership. The story is complex, and morally ambitious, weaving in simple stories of live and repayment of debts with TRUE love, and unrequited sacrifice. Chun herself is a child when she goes into the tale, but when she emerges at the end, she is an adult with all of the weights, burdens, and responsibilities of that class.

The main story of Chun and Kun (what she calls the young man reincarnated in his fish form) is sweet and fairly simple, but it’s really the side stories that give the tale it’s impact. A young “other” boy named Qiu (Shangqing Su) seems like a mischievous little brat who just wants to playfully tease her, but as you watch the young man’s emotional petals are pulled back one by by to reveal one of the most powerful characters of the movie. That moment when he gets drunk after his talk with the otherworldly caretaker is probably one of the most subtly powerful portions of the film, showcasing the burden on his chest and the all consuming love that he has for Chun in one emotionally draining moment. However, at the end of the day, it's really Chun that steals the show. What makes this film so unique among the world of animated films, is that Chun feels like a real person. She's not the perfect protagonist, but makes mistakes, and is forced to make some really hard decisions when she realizes the extent of what she's done. It's nice to see a flawed character that grows and matures as they experience the world, instead of being the perfect heroine who makes all of the right decisions. There's some seriously morally ambiguous moments, where Chun has to make a choice and decide what happens despite the suffering that she must endure, or the past mistakes she has to try and remedy.

I have a few MILD qualms about the rat lady, as her story seemed to be a bit jarring and unneccessary compared to the rest, but I’m wondering if it’s something that I’m missing in translation, or something in Chinese mythology that I’m not grasping, because there was an inordinate amount of attention paid to her role in the escape plan. But from my point of view she seemed completely unneccessary, and the story could have easily done without her machinations and manipulations. Other than that, Big Fist and Begonia is a breathtaking film that stands as the best animated film I’ve see in the AT LEAST 10 years, maybe more.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief nudity




Video:

China isn’t really known for their animated films, and they usually lag far behind their Japanese brethren in that regard. However, Big Fish and Begonia is one of the THE most visually stunning animated films I have seen in my life. The movie is literally pure eye candy, filled to the brim with all differing shades of the rainbow (with reds and bright oranges taking the front seat). The luscious green fields pop off the screen, as does the gorgeous shades of orange from Kun, as well as Qiu, not to mention the nuanced tones of purple, blue and yellow that are intertwine with the various clothing and magical powers of the “others”. The opening water scene at the beginning of the film is nothing short of breathtaking (water is one of the hardest things in animation to get right), and the general physics of nature are stunning to behold. There IS a few seconds of banding in the under water shots (under water is brutal on color banding, and is the most likely candidate to ever see it if there is evidence of banding), but it was so slight and fleeting that I can’t justify pulling the score down for something that minuscule. Fine detailing along the traditionally animated characters is just perfect, and though you CAN detect the shifts from CGI to traditional animation, the picture is probably one of the finest examples of digital perfection that I’ve seen in years.





Audio:

Shout Factory gives the option to listen to Big Fish and Begonia in both the original Mandarin as well as in English (both in 5.1 DTS-HD MA lossless), and both are simply superb. Comparing the two I really REALLY like the Mandarin track better, not just because I’m a purist, but because I felt that the Chinese language track captured more of the emotional range of the characters than the English Dub. That’s not to say that the English dub is bad by any stretch of the imagination, just that the Mandarin seems to resonate better with the movie. Dialog is spot on superb, while the rest of the track enjoys a nuanced and subtle score that is not afraid to hit us with a massive dynamic range. The film can shift from forward heavy dialog centric conversations, to suddenly slamming you back in the chair with a (literal) wave of water that just thunders with explosive LFE and a swirling vortex of surround usage. I DID have to boost the volume about 2 DB’s as I felt the audio was recorded ever so slightly on the soft side, but this isn’t a problem and is an example of a fantastic audio experience.





Extras:

• Making of Featurette
• Short Film that Inspired Big Fish and Begonia
• Music Videos
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

I’m truly shocked that China has come out with an animated film that truly matches the level of Miyazaki in both scope and depth of story (and let’s not forget that animation). It truly is a mesmerizing film that sucked me in completely each of the three times that I’ve seen it this last week and a half. There is a sense of wonder and awe to the production that explains why it was an overnight box office sensation in China, and the story itself is intrinsically beautiful. The rich atmosphere and intricate art completes the trifecta, making Big Fish and Begonia’s tale of love and sacrifice so incredibly powerful in a world where animated films are a dime a dozen. Honestly, I haven’t felt this way about an animated foreign films since I watched Spirited Away back in college. I hate giving 5/5 rating as my mind can consistently find faults with most movies, but Big Fish and Begonia truly is a perfect movie watching experience.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Guanlin Ji, Shangqing Su, Timmy Xu
Directed by: Xuan Ling, Chun Zhang
Written by: Xuan Ling, Daniel Chuba (English Story)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Mandarin DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 7th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Must Own

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will look for this one.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Wow. Mike. That's some serious praise my friend. You think this would resonate with an non-animated film dude (like me?)

 

[Michael Scott]

Wow. Mike. That's some serious praise my friend. You think this would resonate with an non-animated film dude (like me?)

I honestly don't know your animated tastes (if any), but it really really is an impressive film. I was floored, but I'm also comparing it to stuff from Miyazaki, so if you have a baseline taste from any of those (Monnonoke, Spirited Away etc) then I think you can make a fair judgement if you'd like it or not.

there's a fairly complex storyline to it, and the characters have some impressive depth to them too, so I wouldn't say this is a "only anime fans only" type of film at all.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Im a total newb.

I'll order and give it shot!

 

[tripplej]

I saw this movie late yesterday. The whole family enjoyed it. The art was great. I also agree the rat lady was unnecessary but I guess she had to be there as a means to stop the main character from going back to the human world. It was a bit slow for me thou but overall, I liked it.