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Directed by Steven Spielberg
Cast: Ruby Barnhill, Rebecca Hall, Mark Rylance, Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Rafe Spall, Penelope Wilton, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Adam Godley, Jonathan Holmes, Daniel Bacon, Paul Moniz de Sa and Chris Gibbs
Rating: B+
For the first time, Disney and Steven Spielberg are joining forces with the goal of bringing a delightful version of the 1982 novel written by Roald Dahl called “Big Friendly Giant” to theaters. The beloved children’s tale comes to life in a kid-fantasy movie that is sure to put a smile on the faces of those watching, regardless of their age. The BFG is a rather simple and small film compared to the bigger than life summer blockbuster releases that we are accustomed to seeing. The central character, BFG (Big Friendly Giant), takes on the responsibility of lovingly caring for Sophie, an orphan longing for her dream of having a family.
Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) suffers from insomnia and one night while wondering around accidentally gets a good look at a 50-foot giant. The giant is shocked that a child has actually seen him despite all his efforts to hide his presence from mankind. Fearful that the little girl will advertise to the world what she has witnessed, thus ruining his life of incognito, the massive creature snatches Sophie right from her bed and hauls her off far away to a place called Giant Country. At first Sophie is terrified of the large towering being but quickly realizes that the gentle soul means her no harm. So begins the start of new and beautiful friendship as the two become each other’s confidants and support system.
Sophie’s new pal, who she affectionately refers to BFG (Mark Rylance), warns her to stay out of site to keep safe from giants triple his size that enjoy eating children. Sophie learns that BFG’s life work is that of a dream catcher. He catches dreams and then blows the luminous treasures into sleeping children’s minds providing them with amazing visions dancing through their heads. When he is not catching dreams he serves as a sort of holistic doctor to the pesky giants three times his size that take pleasure in bullying the compassionate sweet-tempered healer and keeper of dreams.
When Sophie witnesses first hand BFG suffering the verbal and physical bullying at the hands of his nasty oppressors, she gives him some tough love on how he can stand up to the abuse and stop it himself. In turn, BFG shares much about his life philosophy with his little lady giving her much to think about. Their life together is threatened once the menacing giants that loiter literally at BFG’s door step discover a child’s existence in their land and are now on a mission to find the small invader and use her as the main course for dinner. Sophie and BFG continue to bond through this crisis as they put their heads together to figure out how to stop the scary child-eating ogres from harming Sophie or any other child. They come up with a brilliant plan to enlist the help of the Queen of England.
The BFG is a visual wonder. It is a delight to see the giants big and small comes to life in 3D with amazing CGI effects. The filmmakers created an extraordinary home filled with touches of Feng-Shui beautifully reflecting BFG’s personality and the world he has made for himself. We get to see BFG at work in Dream Country, a wondrous colorful, tantalizing, peaceful place that will enchant moviegoers. An afternoon dinning with the Queen of England comes alive and gives a giggle when BFG experiences culinary delights he never knew existed.
Mark Rylance steals the show portraying the lovable giant. Motion-capture of Rylance’s facial expressions creates a very believable and larger than life individual with twinkling curious eyes, a shifting smile, and twitching big ears. Ruby Barnhill is super cute as Sophie and Penelope Wilton is regal and enjoyable as the queen. The supporting cast adds additional flavor to keep this eye-popping film full of fun.
There are some dark undertones in this fantasy story as death and loss are referenced throughout the script and at times things get a little sluggish, but thankfully the storyline picks up speed toward the end. The underlying theme of The BFG is overcoming what we fear using courage, empathy, perseverance and compassion. This adorable little film is filled with heartwarming moments that provide for some giant-sized entertainment.
