I had no idea what to expect when we went in to see Big Fish. The film is the latest work by acclaimed, but eccentric, director Tim Burton (of Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and Nightmare Before Christmas fame). But, is it any good?

I certainly thought so, but it wasn't what I had expected. Early reviews of Big Fish told of a movie that was replete with tall tales told to a boy by his father and the effect that those tales had on the boy's maturing process.

The movie that we saw was a story of the tales told by a father to his son and the implications of those tales and their believability on the relationship between the son and the father. Whereas I went in looking for a comedy, what we saw was a legitimate and moving drama, with comedic undertones.

Call me a bit of a sap, but I found the film to be extremely well written and deftly directed. Tim Burton's quirky, but emotional style from Edward Scissorhands is back with a vengeance, but with considerably less reliance on larger-than-life props and overacting (no knock on the performance of Johnny Depp's portrayal, it was all part of the film's charm).

I think this is a good sign for Burton's career and once again gives me hope that we'll see more quality films coming out of the film industry.