Director: Steven Spielberg
By Alex Watson
Despite Steven Spielberg wielding some neat and magical visual touches, his adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG cannot escape feeling slightly underwhelming. The casting of Mark Rylance and Ruby Barnhill is inspired and the pair together are the main source of fuel for Spielberg's picture. The principle problem is that although this adaptation is wonderful is some areas, it also drags in others. Although the great man tries his hardest, this just doesn't feel like vintage Spielberg.
Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is an orphan living in London who one night is snatched up by giant The BFG (Mark Rylance). Taking her back to his home, The Giant World the pair begin to bond when he shares his hobby of collection and giving dreams to people. In this land, he is one friendly giant as all others are bloodthirsty children eaters led by the Fleshlumpeater (Jermaine Clement). Together the pair hatches a plan to put a stop of their evil deeds for good.
Despite a very promising and tense opening where we see The BFG snatch Sophie from her bed during 'the witching hour' Spielberg cannot keep this momentum going. Seeing his giant hand reaching for the curtains is as thrilling on a big screen as it was on paper. The early scenes of her introduction to this 24-foot gentle giant are very touching with some well-timed comic moments. His constant particular speech and mispronouncing of words get plenty of laughs, as he refers to humans as 'Beans'. But none get more giggles than when he shows what when you do a 'Whiz-Pop' by drinking Frobscottle. Although these scenes do bring a charm, the film is too reliant on dialogue and as a result, scenes feel overly long.
London has never looked more wonderous on screen and the scenes set during the black velvet night look like something right out of a fairytale as BFG and Sophie deliver a pleasant dream to young boy where he gets a call from the US President. Entering Giant country, at first, we are transfixed by its beauty, most notably during a gorgeous sequence where we see the giant collecting dream. The FX in this scene sparkles like a beautiful dream and is a rare moment of wonder. The child-eating giants while visually impressive, lack any kind of development and they feel tame compared to the horrifying creatures in the 1989 animated version. BFG is bullied for being a runt and is too meek to fight back. Yes, he has our support as the underdog, but after a point, we wish these guys would just go away.
The final act promises great things as Sophie and BFG approach the Queen (Penelope Wilton for help. Giving her one of the worst dreams imaginable, what follows is possible the strongest scene in the picture as she along with her maid Mary (a lovely Rebecca Hall) find Sophie outside her window. Can the Queen possibly believe this unlikely dream about the Giants she just had? Also, there is the added bonus of watching her butler Mr. Tibbs (Rafe Spall) trying to get the Queens guard out without giving himself away. Comedy galore comes rolling forward when BFG is giving breakfast, requiring servants to give large quantities of eggs, toast, and many other things while he is perched up high. Spielberg is known for being funny, but here is carries off well. Sadly for all our hopes, the finale is a rather bland one and only adds to the gigantic disappointment that has been looming throughout.
Mark Rylance proves to be a fine choice to portray the BFG and he is able to both charm and amuse us in equal measure. Sporting a West Country accent, this big guy is a slightly bumbling and confusing character at first. Once the kinks have been ironed out, a big-hearted and lovable giant is born and Rylance brings to life the joy that Dahl gave this character. Ruby Barnhill is an equally wise choice and her down to earth portrayal of Sophie is one of the movie's plus points. The two leads bounce off each other well and are primarily responsible for keeping at a respectable level. Jermaine Clement might have convinced as Boris The Animal in MIB 3, but he is given little work with here. In this age of CG, the Fleshlumpeater should have been a horrifying sight. Instead, he is reduced to comic foil.
The BFG has brief moments that will bring a smile, but Spielberg is not able to make this one of this summer's strongest hits. Hopefully, his adaptation of Ready Player One will be up to scratch.
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