Sometimes the talent that comes together for a certain movie is simply incredible. Take the family fantasy adventure "The BFG" (PG, 1:57) for example. The film co-stars 2015 Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Mark Rylance (in the title role) and Ruby Barnhill who, much like Neel Sethi in 2016's "The Jungle Book", as a child, had to carry much of the film – and is perfect for the role. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, "The BFG" has Spielberg directing his first film for Disney. And one of America's greatest directors has involved much of his dream team of filmmakers in this project. That list, according to IMDb.com, includes "two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer / director of photography (DOP) Janusz Kaminski; two-time Oscar-winning production designer Rick Carter; three time Oscar-winning editor Michael Kahn, ACE; Oscar-nominated costume designer Joanna Johnston, and legendary five-time Oscar winning composer John Williams", as well as the late screenwriter Melissa Mathison, who had previously written Spielberg's classic family film "E.T. the Extra-terrestrial". With "The BFG", Mathison (who died of cancer towards the end of production) was adapting the book of the same title by British novelist Roald Dahl, who also wrote "James and the Giant Peach", "Matilda", "Fantastic Mr. Fox" – and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"! Mind. Blown. A cinematic pedigree like that begs the question of whether the first live-action adaptation of "The BFG" is worthy of all the talent that went into bringing it to the big screen. The answer, in a word, is yes.
Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is a 10-year-old living in a London orphanage. One night, she hears something outside her window and takes a look outside. She sees something that she wasn't supposed to see – a real-life giant (Mark Rylance in a motion-capture performance). Not wanting his existence revealed, the giant grabs Sophie and spirits her away to his house in Giant Country far to the north. This spunky and resourceful little girl tries to get away, but the giant doesn't let her – for his safety and for hers. The irony is that, in Giant Country, this giant is actually a runt, and is referred to as such by his fellow giants. He's 24-feet-tall, but there are nine of THEM living nearby who are at least twice his size and who use their height and strength advantage to harass him and take from him anything he has that they want.
At this point, what the other giants want is Sophie. Most giants, including these nine, do eat children (according to the reputation of giants), but not the one who refers to himself as "The Big Friendly Giant", and whom Sophie takes to simply calling "BFG". As BFG hides and protects Sophie from the others and as he and Sophie bond over their mutual feelings of being put-upon out-casts, Sophie and the BFG become BFFs. The BFG even involves Sophie in his work, which involves capturing, bottling and even mixing and manipulating dreams. He uses his talents for good, trying to bring joy to the lives of children around England (which is what he was doing when Sophie first spotted him), but he can also use his expertise to disseminate bad dreams and manipulate people (ala Leo and company in "Inception").
Sophie comes up with an idea to end the threats posed by the other giants – the threat to the BFG, as well as the threat to herself and to all the other children whom these oversized meat-eaters pursue. Sophie wants to go back into London and take the problem to the queen herself (Penelope Wilton from "Downton Abbey"). For Sophie's plan to work, the BFG is going to have to use all of his abilities and literally step out of the shadows. Even if all that works out, this unlikely pair is going to have to convince the queen and her aide (Rebecca Hall) and an overly cautious head of security (Rafe Spall) that all this is for real – then come up with a way to neutralize nine huge giants. All that amounts to a very tall order.
"The BFG" is a delightful and imaginative family film which is a worthy successor to Spielberg's "E.T.". Featuring a friendship as unlikely as that boy named Elliot and a certain short, wrinkly alien with a heart of gold, this film is similarly touching, but not quite as emotionally engaging. What it may lack in emotional resonance, however, it makes up for in charm and terrific visuals. Some of the scenes are simply beautiful and are enhanced by 3D glasses, but the best reason to watch this film in 3D is the realism it lends to its settings and its CG characters. The script feels a bit contrived and disjointed in parts, but overall, it's well worth getting to know "The BFG". "B+"
Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is a 10-year-old living in a London orphanage. One night, she hears something outside her window and takes a look outside. She sees something that she wasn't supposed to see – a real-life giant (Mark Rylance in a motion-capture performance). Not wanting his existence revealed, the giant grabs Sophie and spirits her away to his house in Giant Country far to the north. This spunky and resourceful little girl tries to get away, but the giant doesn't let her – for his safety and for hers. The irony is that, in Giant Country, this giant is actually a runt, and is referred to as such by his fellow giants. He's 24-feet-tall, but there are nine of THEM living nearby who are at least twice his size and who use their height and strength advantage to harass him and take from him anything he has that they want.
At this point, what the other giants want is Sophie. Most giants, including these nine, do eat children (according to the reputation of giants), but not the one who refers to himself as "The Big Friendly Giant", and whom Sophie takes to simply calling "BFG". As BFG hides and protects Sophie from the others and as he and Sophie bond over their mutual feelings of being put-upon out-casts, Sophie and the BFG become BFFs. The BFG even involves Sophie in his work, which involves capturing, bottling and even mixing and manipulating dreams. He uses his talents for good, trying to bring joy to the lives of children around England (which is what he was doing when Sophie first spotted him), but he can also use his expertise to disseminate bad dreams and manipulate people (ala Leo and company in "Inception").
Sophie comes up with an idea to end the threats posed by the other giants – the threat to the BFG, as well as the threat to herself and to all the other children whom these oversized meat-eaters pursue. Sophie wants to go back into London and take the problem to the queen herself (Penelope Wilton from "Downton Abbey"). For Sophie's plan to work, the BFG is going to have to use all of his abilities and literally step out of the shadows. Even if all that works out, this unlikely pair is going to have to convince the queen and her aide (Rebecca Hall) and an overly cautious head of security (Rafe Spall) that all this is for real – then come up with a way to neutralize nine huge giants. All that amounts to a very tall order.
"The BFG" is a delightful and imaginative family film which is a worthy successor to Spielberg's "E.T.". Featuring a friendship as unlikely as that boy named Elliot and a certain short, wrinkly alien with a heart of gold, this film is similarly touching, but not quite as emotionally engaging. What it may lack in emotional resonance, however, it makes up for in charm and terrific visuals. Some of the scenes are simply beautiful and are enhanced by 3D glasses, but the best reason to watch this film in 3D is the realism it lends to its settings and its CG characters. The script feels a bit contrived and disjointed in parts, but overall, it's well worth getting to know "The BFG". "B+"