Overview
A deep dive into the ocean of human connection and rivalry, where love and competition intertwine.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- sensuous
- melancholic
- introspective
- immersive evening viewing
- ocean themed movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's beautiful cinematography and sensory atmosphere while finding its overblown melodrama and lengthy, thin plot difficult to sustain.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jacques and Enzo's rivalry is organized around increasingly dangerous free-diving championships and physical limits.
The film repeatedly contrasts terrestrial relationships with Jacques's near-mystical attraction to the Mediterranean and underwater world.
Johanna wants intimacy with Jacques, but his dolphin-like physiology and devotion to the sea prevent an ordinary commitment.
The long running time, Eric Serra's score, and sumptuous underwater and Mediterranean imagery amplify the characters' romantic and existential conflicts.
Films like The Big Blue, and why
The Shape of Water
Shared romantic drama, oceanic setting, tragic emotional intensity, and visually immersive relationship between human desire and an overwhelming natural world.
The English Patient
Shared adventure romance, obsessive male rivalry, spectacular natural environments, and emotionally heightened melodrama.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Shared aquatic adventure, friendship, competition, and a contemplative fascination with people drawn toward dangerous physical extremes.
Out of Africa
Shared romantic drama, fatalistic longing, expansive cinematography, and characters struggling between intimacy and an unreachable ideal.
Movie Details
- Director
- Luc Besson
- Release Date
- 1988-05-10
- Runtime
- 168 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (1627)
Cast
- Rosanna Arquette
- Jean-Marc Barr
- Jean Reno
- Paul Shenar
- Sergio Castellitto
- Jean Bouise
- Marc Duret
- Griffin Dunne
- Valentina Vargas
- Kimberly Beck
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Big Blue about?
- A sensuous Mediterranean romance turns a free-diving rivalry into an existential struggle between human intimacy and the call of the sea.
- What is The Big Blue like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Big Blue as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Big Blue violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Big Blue as mild.
- What did critics think of The Big Blue?
- Critics broadly admired the film's beautiful cinematography and sensory atmosphere while finding its overblown melodrama and lengthy, thin plot difficult to sustain.
- Which films are like The Big Blue?
- Films with a similar feel include The Shape of Water, The English Patient, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Out of Africa.
- How long is The Big Blue?
- The Big Blue runs 168 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Big Blue?
- In United States, The Big Blue is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
