‘The BFG’ | Movie Review
Having always been an avid reader of Roald Dahl’s work, I cautiously approached Steven Spielberg’s adaptation, expecting there to be changes and differences that I wouldn’t approve of. I was very pleasantly surprised.
Both Dahl and Spielberg have always been known for their appeal to children, often presenting stories that are different than other children’s stories. Leaning always toward a bit of black comedy, “The BFG” is not as scary as the book, toned down perhaps for very young audiences. Still, there are many elements in the story and the movie that kids want to see.
Going along with the common characteristic of Dahl’s books — strong children who know more than most adults — “The BFG” gives us Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), an independent-thinking orphan, perhaps a bit more bold and brash than the Sophie of the book. Barnhill’s portrayal works well with the other characters and the story.
The story follows the exploits of 10 giants from giant-country, who make their way every night to various places around the world to snatch sleeping children. Nine of the giants, going by such names as “Childchewer” and “Bloodbottler,” grab the sleeping tykes and immediately gobble them up. The Big Friendly Giant (voiced by Mark Rylance), the smallest of the 10 and called “Runt” by the others, makes the same trek every night but for a different reason: to blow dreams into the heads of sleeping children through his magical horn. When he is inadvertently spotted by the sharp-eyed Sophie, he decides to take her with him to avoid being caught by other humans. Sophie learns of the macabre exploits of the other giants and of her friend’s dream catching abilities, and soon hatches a plot to end the nightly child-gobbling.
Sticking close to Dahl’s original story, “The BFG” provides a visually stunning story. Perhaps not as poignant and heart-tugging as many of Spielberg’s efforts, “The BFG” still offers some great moments. A visit to the dream-catching place and the BFG’s eyes welling-up when he meets Queen Elizabeth are only two of many.
I took my 5-year-old daughter, warning her ahead of time that there might be some scary moments in the movie: my warning was not needed. The child-chewing is downplayed and the giants aren’t as scary as they could be. Even small kiddos will enjoy the film and not be frightened.
As always, the educator in me would recommend reading the book first. Those who have read the book will enjoy the movie more. Still, those who haven’t read the book will find the movie entertaining and enjoyable.
My grade: A
