Another film to add to Spielberg's filmography, The BFG is about the big friendly giant who kidnaps a child and takes her to Giant Country where the BFG must overcome bullies and seek a friendship with the kidnapped girl. Based on Roald Dahl's original work, I was most certainly going into this with low expectations (not being a fan of the original film)...but was pleasantly surprised! This is actually really imaginative and one of those rare films where I was in awe of the magic and wonder. Mark Rylance was great as the giant, you feel connected to him throughout the film and his voicing talents were brilliant (especially since he comes from a Shakespeare background). The rest of the cast did fine, but there isn't actually that much dialogue. The majority of the story is actually told through the visuals and my goodness there is some impressive work here, truly outstanding effects. I did take me some time to get used to the live action and the effects blending together, but this was only a short time. Spielberg has done well yet again, but the problem is that the film is just too safe. It feels like it was made for the 1980's and does not add anything new to the genre. Also there are times when you feel like the story isn't going anywhere, 117 minutes might be quite long for the younger viewers. Overall, this is an imaginative magical feature that might feel a little bit too safe but is definitely a great addition to Spielberg's canon.
- Review at: http://www.themoviediorama.com