New Film Review: The BFG

THE BFG

Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay Melissa Mathison
Based on the story by Roald Dahl
Starring: Ruby Barnhill; Mark Rylance (Voice); Penelope Wilton; and Rebecca Hall





This is a story following an orphan girl (Ruby Barnhill) who one evening gets taken from the orphanage by a Big friendly Giant who is a dream catcher or collector.

This is a beautiful yet uneven story.
It is beautiful to look at, you can tell Spielberg's fingerprints are on every scene. every frame.
The young actress Ruby Barnhill who plays Sophie the orphan is fantastic. I just saw adult actors in Independence Day 2 who were awful at acting with the green screen and here comes this young actress who acts circles around them using a green screen.
We also have Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) playing the queen. She is hilarious and so sweet as the queen of England. Also her aide Mary played by Rebecca Hall, who is always very good, takes a small part and makes it memorable.
Then you have a John Williams score played through out the film which adds to the magic. In fact I usually sit through the credits to see if there is anything after the credits. I stayed through the credits here to listen to more of the John Williams score. I hope people out there know what a treasure John Williams is, download the audio of The Best Of John Williams, you will not regret it.
Finally the film has some real good voice work by Mark Rylance as the BFG. The BFG is soft and kind and bumbling as he catches dreams. His soft quiet voice is perfect.

So!! There had to be a SO right? The uneven part.
There is not much of a story here, and it is 115 minutes!! I could have fell asleep, after the first dream catch and woke up 35 minutes later when the queen is involved (Queen part was really funny by the way) and not missed a thing. I understand the Spielberg did not want to break up the Dahl story, however, it should have been done. It should have been edited, or Melissa Mathison should have cut her screenplay a bit.
Also, as I was sitting there watching, I was wondering who this film is for. I know, you may think that should have nothing to do with your review. That is fair to think, but it does add confusion as you watch it. Giants are trying to eat children so....parents will not take their children who are really young. I guess maybe a few adults will go for nostalgia, pertaining to the book they read when they were younger. Still I do not see the market.
This film I give 3 out of 5 stars. Beautiful. Well acted. However slightly boring for a long stretch. In fact, even though Spielberg's name is on this, I predict this to be a bomb. Which is a shame because it is not that bad. There is no place right now in the market for it. Finding Dory is out there still making great money, and that is what kids want. Tarzan is now out there for older kids. Adults will be watching Tarzan also. Plus, Secret Lives Of Pets come out next week. There is no market for this film what so ever. They probably should have waited until October when the market has less competitive and wrapped it around Halloween. The film is good but not great. Maybe it will make up some of the loss in the overseas market.
Again, it is not for kids under 10. If you have a rainy day, go see it, it is a beautiful looking film on the big screen..

Thanks for your time as always from the shadows.