I Loved The Movie...

Ever since I saw the movie, I've been meaning to read Big Fish by Daniel Wallace. Usually, when I read a book and watch a movie based on it, I like the book better than the movie. The only exception was The Princess Bride, because I love that movie and I though the book kind of sucked.

While I don't think the book Big Fish sucked, I really didn't like it quite as much as the movie. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great book, and it's actually better than the movie in a few spots. For instance, in the book the town of Specter and the mysterious otherworldly town Edward Bloom passes through when he's leaving home are two different places. In the movie they weren't, which was just kind of confusing.

There was some stuffi n the movie that wasn't in the book, but was actually pretty damn good. Like that part at the circus with Danny DeVito as a werewolf (though I think showing his ass was a mistake Ugh!). The two headed woman played a major part in the movie, but just got a mention in the book. And seeing his own death in the witch's eye was a beautiful scene, but isn't in the book either (at least not in exactly the same form).

I do like the way the book is told: as a series of little legends about Edward Bloom with brief interludes about his dying. The interludes (there are four of them)all tell the same part of the story but each in a different way. As they progress, the narrator seems to come closer to understanding his father (as a part of the stories). While I might not of liked the book as much as the movie (which I would give 5 yo-yos), I do like it a lot, so I give it 4 yo-yos.