Review of The BFG (2016) by Maksim B — 18 Nov 2016

A most welcome family friendly adaptation of the Roald Dahl's children novel, The BFG perfectly suits its purpose of providing a beautiful, child-friendly entertainment to kids and their families. Visually stunning and with pleasant touch of British-ness, this Steven Spielberg-vehicle is far from being a classic or a compelling delivery for adults not familiar with the novel, but for dedicated fans of the book, it will provide two hours of fine entertainment.

Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is an outsider orphan who likes staying up at night. Curious and defying rules she is not afraid of bedtime stories of the Boogieman or similar, until one night she spots from her terrace a giant walking the streets of London. When he notices that he is being observed, he quickly kidnaps her and brings her to his Giant Country. A friendship between both is quickly established as The Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance) seems to be a giant with a big heart and an outsider in his own world.

As a tale for young kids Steven Spielberg's delivery is excellent. It lacks the emotional load of other productions of his, but thanks to Mark Rylance's voice and the good-natured story The BFG remains quite entertaining for pre-teens. Unfortunately, the slow pacing and weaker connection established by Sophie and the audience results in the adaptation becoming a sort of a niche product. If you are a familiar with the novel, you grew up with it and liked it, you will certainly be enjoying it. However, if you have no idea of it you could be disappointed and bored towards the mid-part of the movie. Even some good laughs in the second part cannot compensate for the lack of strong emotional connection with the viewers.

In conclusion, The BFG is certainly a satisfying delivery even if you do not know the novel. Its flaws are partially compensated by Mark Rylance, the stunning visuals and a small portion of British humor just to the level to make it passable. Yet, if you have read Roald Dahl's novel, then you would be absolutely pleased with the final result brought by Spielberg.