Luc Besson’s snoozefest, The Big Blue – starring Jean Reno, Jean-Marc Barr (who?) and Rosanna Arquette (remember her?) – is FINALLY getting a 4K UHD worldwide debut on SteelBook and Digital on December 1. This cinematic masterpiece (said no one ever) boasts a brand new restoration from Gaumont Studios, and wait for it… STUNNING new artwork by the acclaimed artist Flore Maquin. Prepare to be mildly whelmed. 😴
Enzo (Jean Reno), the self-proclaimed freediving world champion (probably bribed the judges 🙄), tracks down his childhood friend and fellow freediver Jacques (Jean-Marc Barr) and INSISTS that he competes in the upcoming world championships. Jacques, clearly with nothing better to do, accepts Enzo’s challenge and, gasp, beats his record! This sparks a totally believable competition between the two old friends that intensifies as each man attempts to reach increasingly life-threatening depths and journey further into the unknown… or, you know, just drown. 🤷♀️
Following the wildly overrated 4K SteelBook releases of Besson’s Leon (okay, that one was kinda good), Subway (seriously?) and La Femme Nikita (starting to see a pattern here), StudioCanal is now trying to sell us a beautifully collectable, 4-disc edition of his award-winning, mythical Mediterranean adventure, loosely inspired by the life of legendary diver Jacques Mayol. The release includes the Theatrical and Extended cuts of the film, because who wouldn’t want MORE of this movie? And, of course, brand new extras, because why not milk it for all it’s worth? 🐄
With a cast including Jean Reno (Leon, aka the only reason anyone might watch this), Jean-Marc Barr (Dancer In The Dark, which is basically what you’ll be doing trying to figure out the plot), and Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction, a movie she was actually good in), the film features a vibrant score by regular Besson collaborator Éric Serra (The Fifth Element), who somehow won the 1989 César award for Best Music (must have been a slow year), and extraordinary widescreen cinematography (by Carlo Varini, Subway) that allegedly looks absolutely stunning in the new restoration. We’ll believe it when we see it. 🙄
Winner of the 1989 National Academy of Cinema Academy Award (yeah, we’re shocked too), and described by Film4 as “a hypnotically beautiful and metaphysical delight” (they were probably paid to say that), it’s time to dive into the definitive edition of THE BIG BLUE and experience Besson at his passionate and most visually arresting best. Or, you know, just take a nap. 😴
THE BIG BLUE is available to buy on SteelBook and Digital from 1st December 2025, presumably to capitalize on the holiday shopping rush from people who have no idea what they’re buying, and available to pre-order HERE. (Don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
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CONTENTS:
UHD Disc 1: Theatrical Cut (The slightly less boring version)
UHD Disc 2: Extended Cut (For those who enjoy cinematic torture)
BD Disc 1: Theatrical Cut (In case you hate 4K)
BD Disc 2: Extended Cut (Because why not suffer twice?)
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Making of Documentary (So you can see how they wasted their time)
NEW Interviews with Cast and Crew [UHD only] (Hear them try to justify their involvement!)
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
