Arriving on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment, Big is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen ratio with 1080p/AVC resolution. While the transfer is much better than the older Standard-Def DVDs, the color palette seems kind of dull. Let’s put it this way: it’s good, but it doesn’t make one bow and worship it. The main soundtrack, an English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio, sounds well enough during the more “rambunctious” scenes (e.g. the carnival), but for the most part, the rear speakers aren’t given that much of an exercise. The original English Stereo sound is also included, along with three others: French (Stereo), Spanish, and Portuguese (Mono). Subtitles are provided in English (SDH), Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Big’s special features start out with the wonderful option to watch the film in its original theatrical version (104 min) or its extended cut (130 min) via seamless branching. The extended cut adds more depth to several characters, but its length may put a few viewers off a bit. Additional features include an audio commentary (or, the “Big Brainstorming Audio Documentary” as it’s called here since it’s an edited-together job) by writers Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg; eight deleted scenes (five of which have intros by director Penny Marshall), all of which are featured in the extended cut; and several featurettes and trailers/TV spots.
When I first saw Big, I thought it was great. Re-visiting it as an adult, it’s even better. Sure, the Blu-ray audio and video may not meet some expectations, but this is still a wonderful title to have in your collection.
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