Directed by Steven Spielberg
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Running time: 117 minutes
Released: 2016
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Ten-year-old Sophie is in for the adventure of a lifetime when she meets the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance). Naturally scared at first, the young girl soon realizes that the 24-foot behemoth is actually quite gentle and charming. As their friendship grows, Sophie’s presence attracts the unwanted attention of Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater and other giants. After traveling to London, Sophie and the BFG must convince Queen Victoria to help them get rid of all the bad giants once and for all.
Going into this film, I wasn’t sure what to expect. While I had enjoyed reading The BFG as a child, I did not know how well the book would translate into a full 2-hour film. Overall, I found that while it seems whimsical and immature, and at times the plot was all over the place, the film has its definite charms.
I’m sure most of us already know the general plot to The BFG. It is about the plucky orphan Sophie, who finds herself abducted by a friendly giant, affectionately referred to as the BFG (for Big Friendly Giant), and is taken to Giant Country. There, she discovers his fellow giants are not so friendly and regularly eat human children. Sophie eventually convinces the BFG to help her stop the other giants.
One major problem with The BFG was simply that its plot did not warrant a 2-hour long film. While the main plot to The BFG is extremely simple, it fills 2 hours with its extravagant portrayal of its world. The storyline takes a few rather large detours, as the BFG not only hunts dreams but also creates them and gives children dreams at night. How these detours portray themselves in the film is up to the viewer, as the world that Spielberg paints through this film can be absolutely beautiful at times. However, while the dreams and Dream Country were animated beautifully, the fact still remains that the film’s plot was thin and many of its side sequences did not lend much if anything at all to it.
The BFG is not without its charms. Mark Rylance does an incredible job as the BFG. He brings pure joy to the character, and I couldn’t help but smile listening to the BFG’s clumsy dialogue. In addition, the animations were incredible and created incredibly visually pleasing moments as Spielberg creates and portrays a beautiful world of wonders.
Overall, The BFG has some major upsides but also has its major downsides. The film rambles on for quite a while, as it attempts to dazzle its viewers with its beautiful world. Again, its plot is really insufficient to fill an entire 2 hours,and only takes direction towards the end as it builds toward the final confrontation with the giants. This final act is definitely worth watching. All in all, I would recommend this film. While I did find it to be forgettable in the end, it was definitely a charming film, and I personally found that its upsides outweighed its downsides, as I could not resist its charms in the end.
Author: Austin
Austin enjoys reading fantasy books and watching a variety of films from actions to dramas. In his free time, he can be found gaming.
Ethan says
I actually really enjoyed this one. While I agree that the movie can seem a little long, I found myself completely enchanted by the story. I did find the story to be slow during the opening, but It really came to life when the plot was given a clear motivation. You've definitely inspired me to write my own review now! Look for it as one of my future Friday Flicks!