NickReview for The BFG (2016) Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton. IMDB says “A girl named Sophie encounters the Big Friendly Giant who, despite his intimidating appearance, turns out to be a kindhearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because, unlike them, he refuses to eat children.”
“What’s in those jars?”
I went into The BFG with a negative attitude. I didn’t care for Steven Speilberg’s last film, Bridge of Spies, and I was especially bitter about Mark Rylance winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film. Here’s this guy coming out of no where and now he’s cast in the next two Speilberg films AND the newest from Christopher Nolan? What is he, Christoph Waltz? I went to the screening of The BFG knowing nothing about it. Never saw a trailer, nor have I ever read the book by Roald Dahl. All I knew was I didn’t care much for Rylance. I thought I would be underwhelmed by the film and would walk away feeling ambivalent. I was wrong.
The BFG is about a young girl named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) who discovers a giant (Mark Rylance) and is thrust into the whimsical land of giants and the marveling meadows of dreams. But not all is well in the land of giants as Sophie and her BFG (Big Friendly Giant) team up to take on giants of a more sinister nature. This film is wonderful and as it progressed, I felt more and more of a smile cross my face and as the credits rolled I left the theatre pleasantly surprised. Ruby Barnhill is solid in her film debut and I look forward to future roles but the real star here is Mark Rylance. I feel like I should eat a shoe or a hat or something, but Rylance, for me, was the focus of every scene. While his performance was all motion capture, there was something about his face and delivery that made everything feel so believable and real. It’s almost frustrating to admit how much I enjoyed his performance after seeing him in Bridge of Spies. Jemaine Clement provides some solid voice work and motion capture work as Fleshlumpeater. The villain he plays is rather dull and run-of-the-mill, but there’s something about Clement’s delivery that really sells it. Bill Hader provides some voice work and Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, and Rafe Spall round out the main cast with their royal roles.
The CGI in the film is outstanding. It’s some of the best effects work I’ve seen this year and it’s easily worthy of an academy award. The textures are so rich and detailed it’s hard to find problematic areas. Even when human characters interact with CGI characters, it all has a very natural feel. Positives aside, there are a few negatives. The story has some pacing and timing issues. At times the film drags and at other times, events happen so quickly it feels like neither you or the characters have time to process the events. You’re also strung along and tossed into some logic that could use more explanation of it’s application, but you kinda just go with it. It makes we wonder if the book gives you a basic run down or if the film decided to skip out on the specifics. And while John Williams provides a great score, no theme has any stand out power and will most likely go unnoticed.
Overall, the film is whimsical and fun and stirred up a childhood sense of wonder inside of me like The Neverending Story and Pagemaster used to do. Kids will really enjoy this film and the parents won’t mind going to see it. Pass on the 3D but don’t pass on seeing this film in the theaters. This is too tall a tale to pass up and the grandiosity of it all will definitely get lost on smaller streamable screens.
FTS SCORE: 76%
The BFG is in theaters July 1, 2016.