Review of The BFG (2016) by Christopher E — 12 Aug 2017

Not really magical, and not really memorable.

This film tells the tale of a young girl, the Queen of England and a benevolent giant known as the BFG, who set out on an adventure to capture the evil, man-eating giants who have been invading the human world.

I'll be completely honest. I didn't know what "The BFG" was so when I first heard about its release, I thought it stood for Big Fucking Gun. I wondered, how could this be a kid's movie? There's nothing kid friendly about that. However, then I found out what this film was really about. It made a little more sense but I was still a little less interested. After watching this as part of a movie marathon (spanning as movie #5), it was definitely the worst of the bunch.

I'll be honest, I thought this film looked really bad. The mix between the young girl and her interaction with the environment looked really bad. I mean, the motion capture was fine, but it looked like she was in the middle of a cartoon. It kind of felt awkward and cheesy and with today's standards, it felt like I was watching some animation back in the early 2000's. I mean, the animation itself is good, but I bet this film could've been better if it was just an animation. I think it would've been more interesting, in that sense.

Mark Rylance's portrayal of the giant really was the best part of this film. He made the character his own and he made it memorable. I think he made the character what it was and he's the reason there was a spark of fun in this film. As for Ruby Barnhill, she was fine as an actress, but I didn't really like her character. She came off as a know-it-all personality, which was more annoying than anything.

I guess the worst thing I have to say about this film is that its a film that will really only appeal for young children. There's not much here that will appear to audience that are over the age of 13, and that's the biggest disappointment. There's simple and easy giggles placed around this film, with visuals meant for a lower budget film and a ridiculous plot. I mean, seriously, the plot / screenplay was pretty cringe worthy at times. It was just another aspect of this film that fell short.

In the end, 'The BFG" was a disappointment. It's a film that's best suited for a younger audience, otherwise, there's not much you'll be able to take from here.