In The BFG, ten year old Sophie is an orphanage taken by a giant to the land of the giants. However, her presence attracts unwanted attention from giants who aren’t as friendly as the one who took her. This sets her and BFG (big friendly giant played by Mark Rylance) on a quest to defeat the not-s0-nice giants with the aid of Queen Victoria.
Quality
I have very mixed feelings on the look of this film. It has a magical feel to it. However, this feel slips into a digital feel all too often. This is personally a pet peeve of mine as I don’t like when storytelling elements draw more attention than the story itself. It is possible that all of these were creative choices that just didn’t connect with me. On the flip side, this sound design and music I found to be quite enjoyable and beautiful. Overall, I found the quality to land somewhere in the middle… especially considering this is a Steven Spielberg movie. It is a beautiful movie that I just wish felt a little less CGI.
Extras
There were several bonus features released with The BFG. It includes a rather substantial extra that goes into the making of the movie, hosted by actress Ruby Barnhill (Sophie). Here is what is included:
BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:
- Bringing “The BFG” to Life – Ruby Barnhill (Sophie) hosts a phizz-whizzing journey through the making of “The BFG.” This behind-the-scenes documentary details the film’s progression through interviews with Roald Dahl’s daughter Lucy Dahl, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, executive producers Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Kristie Macosko Krieger, and numerous members of the talented cast and crew.
- The Big Friendly Giant and Me – Sophie wasn’t the first “bean” in Giant Country—many illustrations were created as if drawn by a little boy who was there long before Sophie. This charming, in-world short will bring the drawings to life with animation and narration, recounting the friendship and the dreams shared between the boy and the Big Friendly Giant.
- Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG – A whoopsey-splunkers tutorial on the meaning of the gloriumptious gobblefunk in “The BFG.”
- Giants 101 – Jemaine Clement (Fleshlumpeater) and Bill Hader (Bloodbottler) introduce us to the loathsome giants in “The BFG,” along with movement choreographer/motion capture performer Terry Notary, who collaborated with the actors and Director Steven Spielberg prior to filming to develop their movements and character traits.
- Melissa Mathison: A Tribute – An homage to Melissa Mathison, the extraordinary, Oscar®-nominated screenwriter of “The BFG” and “E.T.,” whose talent and heart were as immense as the giants in “The BFG.”
DIGITAL/VOD:
- John Williams: Scoring A Dream – A journey through the film’s concept art and memorable moments, interwoven with the sights and sounds of legendary composer John William’s scoring session.
DVD:
- Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG and Melissa Mathison: A Tribute
Final Thoughts
The BFG is the remake of a beloved Roald Dahl novel from 1982 of the same name. It is a very cute movie with an endearing friendship between a young orphan and a big friendly giant. The friendship that grows and blossoms could have come straight from a child’s imagination. A family friendly film, this film has a lot of different things going on that different ages will connect with. It definitely is not Steven Spielberg’s best flick but it still is respectable. It would have been interesting to review this not knowing he was involved and seeing if my opinions on it were the same. All that being said, go buy the movie. Go buy the book. Read the book, watch the movie, and make some memories with your family.
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