The Big Blue 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Big Blue 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"You have to find a good reason to come back up... and I have a hard time finding one."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown November 24, 2025

Just in time for holiday shopping and potentially ideal for those French alt-genre film-fans in your family or friend group comes the Luc Besson 9-Film Collection from Sony, which offers six of the controversial filmmaker's movies on 4K UltraHD with Dolby Atmos tracks and three additional flicks on standard Blu-ray with DTS-HD Master Audio. Besson has a messy, I'll just call it "icky" personal past (a word that feels generous), but for those who can separate art from an artist's alleged and/or admitted misdeeds, this box set makes for a solid albeit flawed gift. The films included in the collection are black-and-white post-apocalyptic drama Le Dernier Combat (The Last Battle, 1983), stylized crime dramedy Subway (1985), theatrical and director's cuts of off-kilter romance The Big Blue (1998), proto-Wick assassin thriller Le Femme Nikita (1990), underwater documentary Atlantis (1991), theatrical and extended versions of the beloved, fan-favorite Leon: The Professional (1994), zany '90s sci-fi epic The Fifth Element (1997), domestic and international cuts of underrated historical biopic The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999), and visually striking supernatural noir Angela-A (2005).

"You go down to the bottom of the sea, where the water isn't even blue anymore, where the sky is only a memory, and you float there, in the silence. And you stay there, and you decide, that you'll die for them. Only then do they start coming out. They come, and they greet you, and they judge the love you have for them. If it's sincere, if it's pure, they'll be with you, and take you away forever."

Le grand bleu tells the story of Jacques (Jean-Marc Barr) and Enzo (Jean Reno), two childhood friends who have not seen each other for more than twenty years. Both love the sea. Both used to dive together. Now, Enzo is living in Sicily, where he has been the undisputed free diving world champion for six years. Jacques lives somewhere in the Peruvian Andes, where he has found a job at a remote research station. Enzo asks Jacques to come to Sicily, where the next diving competition is going to take place. Jacques agrees and arrives accompanied by his new girlfriend, Johana (Rosanna Arquette), an insurance agent from New York City. Soon, the two friends begin challenging each other - first above water, then below...

Click here to read the rest of Dr. Svet Atanasov's review of the film, of which he says, "the acting is fantastic" and "Carlo Varini's cinematography is superb." Adding, "of course, it's Eric Serra's notorious soundtrack, a truly beautiful mix of mid-tempo ambient tunes and electonica featuring wonderful sax solos, that transforms Le grand bleu into a very, very special film."

The Big Blue 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Big Blue was previously released on Blu-ray in 2009 by Optimum Home Entertainment in the UK. It didn't offer the best 1080p transfer, but it held its own at the time considering it was produced utilizing a dated master. Fortunately, it's pretty clear that a new master is in play here, although Sony's 4K 2160p presentation doesn't escape enough of the issues that haunted the 2009 release for me to be 100% sure. Colors are bright and bold -- a revelation compared to the Optimum BD -- taking full advantage of everything Dolby Vision has on tap. Primaries pop, piercing through the palette with a richness and depth that truly improves upon anything the film has offered before. Contrast is excellent and heartily improved as well, even though the open skies occasionally lead to edge-integrity flare-ups and color bleaching. Black levels remain nice and absorbing regardless, and delineation is quite good, even during nighttime scenes set on dimly lit beaches. Detail is fairly revealing too, with plenty of crisp definition and fine textures to behold. The opening black-and-white vignette suffers from filtering and the slightest smearing, which is strange given the quality of the rest of the film, but it's soon forgotten when Besson's oceans finally turn blue. Grain is also a bit inconsistent throughout the feature, most notably when the film dives beneath the water. Still, the underwater sequences aren't plagued by banding and blocking, which is a huge boon compared to the 2009 release, and the overall upgrade of the picture makes this 4K edition an easy one to declare the film's definitive release (at least for now).

The Big Blue 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I was less thrilled by The Big Blue's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, despite the fact that there's nothing really to point to and say "that doesn't sound right." Dialogue is clean and intelligible, neatly prioritized and nicely grounded in the mix. LFE output is restrained but lends power to the roar of the ocean and a hearty expansiveness to the echoes and broadened sounds beneath the water. The rear speakers are utilized liberally but lightly as well, granting environments a sense of vastness and interiors a sense of space, even as there isn't much in the way of directional wizardry. The Big Blue is a quiet, more restrained entry in Besson's canon, heavy on conversation and jetting anything resembling the action sequences of his later films. The resulting sound design is commendable, undoubtedly. It just lacks any memorable heft or sonic bombast.

The Big Blue 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Director's Cut - Each version of the film -- the 138-minute R-rated theatrical version and the 168-minute unrated director's cut -- is presented on its own 4K UltraHD and standard Blu-ray discs, making this a roomy, 4-disc set.

• The Adventure of The Big Blue (HD, 101 minutes) - This feature-length production documentary provides an engaging, effortless behind-the-scenes tour of the film that touches on nearly every area conceivable, from development to pre-production, film shoot, editing, scoring, and eventual release and reception.

• Composer Eric Serra (HD, 58 minutes) - The first of five newly produced interviews opens with composer Eric Serra dissecting his contributions to The Big Blue, from his initial meetings with Besson to his composition and the recording of the music.

• Actor Jean-Marc Barr (HD, 30 minutes) - Barr recollects working with Besson and the rest of the cast, building his character, lifting him off the page, and working within the filmmaker's parameters to be as creative and true as possible.

• Actor Marc Duret (HD, 17 minutes) - Duret offers his own recollections, painting a picture of Besson as a collaborator who leaves room for his actors to follow their instincts and heart while creating their characters.

• Underwater Camera Operator Christian Petron (HD, 30 minutes) - Films are notoriously difficult ventures, and that's above the ocean. Underwater cameraman Christian Petron describes the challenges of shooting beneath the waves and the various shots they were able to accomplish in spite of less-than-ideal circumstances.

• Gaumont Technical Director Andre Labbouz (HD, 11 minutes)

• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 minutes)

The Big Blue 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Besson deepens his dramatic talents and delivers an ensemble-driven film with gripping performances and a love triangle as nail-biting as it is believable. Add to that Sony's (overall) beautiful 4K video remastering and presentation, solid lossless audio offering, and a bountiful collection of extras and you have another strong 4K disc in the Besson 9-Film Collection box set.