Big Eyes Review

Big Eyes is the latest film from Tim Burton starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz in the lead-roles as Margaret and Walter Keane. This is, after ‘Ed Wood‘, his second biographical film and it is his best feature in years.

First, the story. I personally found the story fascinating, even from the trailers. It is so refreshing to see Tim Burton doing something different, something serious for a change and he really made an effort here which shows. The whole real-life story is so captivating to me that the whole movie flew by. That is how engaging and I’d add important this story is. It is also very grounded and realistic. Women were like that those days and I am so happy they went in the realistic approach and direction because that transports you to the 50s and 60s perfectly and shows you how women were weak and looked upon those days. The film makes a statement that not a single person would buy art from a woman back there and it is important to watch this film and remember how women struggled in those respective decades. Also, the ending is very satisfying and triumphant when she finally wins and you are happy because you rooted for her the whole way.

The character development in this film is excellent as well as the acting. Both characters are somewhat complex and not just one-note. You start to care for the protagonist and you start to despise Walter and that is all due to some great characterization at display here. The performances from the two are great, but Amy Adams is especially good. She steals the show and she once again gives a terrific performance, after the great performances in ‘Enchanted’ and ‘American Hustle‘. She is really one of the best actresses in the business right now and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses as well.

The cinematography is great here, it is always so bright and pleasing to the eye. Also, I think the attention to detail is magnificent, especially concerning those eyes. Everything here regarding the technical aspects is excellent. And the directing is superb finally bringing back Tim Burton in the process.

There are a couple of problems that this movie has and those are unfortunately big ones. The movie begins so well and that is why it is such a shame that it almost collapses near the end and that is all due to some actions by Walter’s character which are so over-the-top and even, I have to say, cartoony in nature. Honestly, it is so childish that it kind of ruins the film. His performance in those moments is also very over-the-top and I am not blaming Waltz per say but rather the director because I think he made him act that way, it was his vision for the ending and it was a very bad idea honestly. Instead of that route, they should have gone with fleshing out his character more and adding some thought-provoking dialogues and lines about the whole situation. But those are some bad moments that, no matter how bad, did not however take away the great experience I’ve had with this film.

All in all, Big Eyes has many problems in the execution in the movie’s later parts, but it is overall such an intriguing story that is also very important because there are a few worse things than taking credit for someone else’s work and that is why the movie is so emotional and striking. The direction, the performances and the technical aspects are all very good here and it is great to see the director finally make a comeback after his latest lackluster efforts.

My Rating – 4

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      Interior & Exterior Stills from Big Eyes

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