It’s actually hard to believe that Steven Spielberg hasn’t done a live action 3D movie before now. THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (done in CGI animation) is the closest we’ve come so far, but THE BFG makes it official. Based on Roald Dahl’s classic story, the film stars Mark Rylance (BRIDGE OF SPIES) as the title character, a Big Friendly Giant. Young Sophie is played by fresh face Ruby Barnhill, and other giants are voiced by Bill Hader as Bloodbottler, and Jemaine Clement as Fleshlumpeater. The Queen of England is played by Penelope Wilton. What you see below gives us a lot more than the cryptic teaser trailer, but unlike the first two looks this one doesn’t have any of the finished John Williams music, which was rather effective in the previous sneak peeks. I’m interested to see Spielberg working with Disney, so we’ll see how this turns out – advance reviews and screening feedback has been lukewarm. Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.