Review of The BFG (2016) by Justin G — 20 Aug 2016

Steven Spielberg is the type of director who likes to jump around film genres and never seems to lose his footing. Going from the historical thriller "Bridge of Spies" to "The BFG" is proof that he can make anything and make it with such magic. This movie is full of magic and wonder and brings out that fairytale appeal that both adults and children can appreciate. Although it is based on the novel by Roald Dahl, it doesn't have the same effect that it evokes when it comes to danger. I will explain that later.

The story takes place in London and children are vanishing from orphanages at night. There are rules in place that are simple enough to follow. The main one seems to be to stay away from the windows at night. Sofie (Ruby Barnhill) is a girl who lives in one of these orphanages and finds herself being snatched up by a giant. The BFG (Mark Rylance) takes her to his home in Giant Country where he plans to keep her there so she won't tell anyone that giants exist. The BFG also lives with several other bigger giants who are dumb and only purpose is to hunt and eat humans. They then start to become suspicious that The BFG is carrying a human so Sofie and himself come up with a plan to stop them.

There is a large amount of visual spectacle which many films suffer from such as "Alice in Wonderland" however, these are such convincing visuals that it's hard to see that they are done on a green screen. Just like "The Jungle book" that came out a few months ago, the motion capturing and the detailed environment is something to get lost in and it defiantly brings the fairytale to life. Not just the special effects but the little details. The BFG sleeps in a big sailor ship, his home is like a hobbit hole with a big circular stone for a door. He is a dream hunter so he has glass jars full of colorful fireflies looking dreams that surround his house.

The BFG is played by Mark Rylance who looks and talks just like him. His performance is something that turns a CGI giant into a character with personality. He is friendly and speaks funny words or shall I say he can't pronounce words right. He calls human beings, human beans. He will also call the Queen of England Majester instead of Majesty. I actually laughed every time he would mispronounce a word, I found it hilarious. Then newcomer Ruby Barnhill plays a lady that is brave and confident. She explores her giant world with such wonder. She is also lonely which is something that she shares with the BFG. These two characters work well together, better than I thought. Going off topic I just wanna say the best part in the film was where The BFG has breakfast with the queen. It's so funny and it's surprisingly something I wondered about since the beginning of the movie. "I wonder what it would be like if he went into a normal house" and I got my answer. Anyways, the casting is just excellent.

This is a movie I really enjoyed and is a worthy addition to the fantasy genre. I did have a couple problems though, first was the pacing. It never felt like the movie was leading to anything big. Yes, many things happens but the build up is something I didn't feel. There were a couple times I thought the film was gonna end but it didn't. Not that I wanted to end it just felt like it should. Then there was a problem with the family friendly approach. I appreciate the fact that Steven Spieldberg wanted to make a film that everyone can watch. I really do appreciate that but, because he chose to leave some of the dark stuff from the source material out of the picture, the movie lacks fear. The larger flesh eating giants are a threat but they never feel scary. So how can we fear the dumb giants if they aren't scary? Otherwise, this a film that I suggest for everyone that is magical, fun, and will make an adult feel like a kid again.