The Big Blue (1988)
6/10
Le grand bleu: I really don't know what to make of that
11 September 2018
At it's peak The Big Blue reached the 96th highest rated movie on IMDb, and that is no small feat. Learning this I was further astounded that I hadn't already seen it.

French made by internationally renound director Luc Besson both as writer and director the Big Blue is a curious film that left me scratching my head yet oddly entertained.

It tells the story of two friends since childhood with a passion for competetive deep sea diving. One is the world champion, arrogant and relatively famous while the other is more reclusive, mysterious and with a certain innocence.

The two men compete against each other, constantly trying to one up the other while maintaining a loyalty and friendship. When a New York reporter begins to fall for one of the pair a story of love and friendship truly begins.

Here is the trouble though, the friendship was questionable and the love felt hugely one sided. One character was conceited while the other ignorant and though gripped I struggled to care about the characters quite as much as I should have.

The plot though competent is wafer thin, the love story flawed and considering this film is almost 3hrs long I felt it was remarkably shallow.

On the flipside however the cast delivered on every front, the writing was wonderful the score was hugely fitting and the cinematography was absolutely second to none. The whole movie is perfectly crafted and has some of the most incredible visuals I've ever seen!

Despite all it's glaring flaws and my inability to see this magical love story it is still a sight to behold and a triumph for Besson.

The Good:

Some stunning visuals

Very charming

Well scored

Great cast

The Bad:

Didn't feel the incredible friendship

Certainly didn't feel the love story

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I'm starting to think that the story wasn't about friendship or love, but about undiagnosed mental illness

That ending left me VERY uneasy
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