Given that Steven Spielberg's been at the helm of so many
childhood classics that his name has become synonymous with nostalgia, it's
kind of amazing that he's never made a Disney movie yet. And yet that was
absolutely the case before The
BFG, his adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved novel about a young girl and
the big friendly giant she befriends. The combination, which includes late E.T. writer Melissa Mathison, proves to be
every bit as magical we could have hoped. The BFG is Spielberg at the height of
his powers, crafting a story that will whisk kids and adults alike into a
fantastical world that is tall on heart.
The film is built almost entirely on the
wonderfully expressive performances by recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance (of
Spielberg's Bridge of Spies)
and newcomer Ruby Barnhill. The 12-year-old actress plays Sophie, a spirited
London orphan whose insomnia causes her to spot the Big Friendly Giant tip-toeing
through the empty streets late at night. Moments later his giant paw is
plucking Sophie from her bed and carrying her off to Giant Country, a hidden
place on the outer edges of Great Britain. For obvious reasons she fears being
chomped by the big-eared, soft-spoken giant whose vocabulary consists of
jumbled gibberish and Giant slang. But it turns out the BFG, the name she
ultimately gives him, has no interest in eating her. He eats snozzcumbers, the
rotten, stinking vegetable that grows on the island. He also drinks
frobscottle, a green drink with inverted fizziness that causes the most
delightful of putrid farts. The BFG lives up to his moniker, but he's still the
runt of the litter compared to the other giants, who munch on "human
beans" and have names like Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement), Bloodbottler
(Bill Hader), and Bonecruncher. They bully the BFG at every chance they get,
and eventually begin to sniff out Sophie's presence.
The vast majority of the film takes place
there in Giant Country, mostly in the BFG's home which is full of all sorts of
wonders. He's an inventor with contraptions littered about everywhere, and a
giant pirate ship for a bed. The film's already impressive visuals jump a notch
when we're introduced to the BFG's laboratory, where he keeps dreams, all
glowing and will o' the wispy, bottled up and locked away. That's his job,
going out at night to Dream Country to capture the good dreams and dispense
them to the world, or to keep the menacing red dreams locked away where they
can do no harm. Every place we're transported is brimming with visual splendor
and teeming with boundless energy. If only there were more places to visit
because the story does tend to drag a bit after being in the BFG's home for so
long. We begin to feel as if we've been kidnapped and locked away in Giant
Country, as well.
Fortunately, Rylance and Barnhill are
terrific together and imbue their characters with so much spirit that we can't
help but fall for them. Rylance is a veteran performer who had been working a
long time before Spielberg "found" him and it's no wonder he seems
reluctant to part from the actor now. Barnhill continues the tradition of
unforgettable child performances in Spielberg films. Her Sophie is at all times
caring, mischievous, and a little bit dishonest, but she's supremely loyal to
her new friend and willing to risk her life for his. It's the BFG who is in the
most danger here, not her, an unexpectedly rewarding dynamic that pays off in
the final scenes. There's also a good deal of cheeky humor that comes about
when the BFG is introduced to the Queen of England (Penelope Wilton), who is
promptly introduced to frobscottle and the gastrointestinal relief it provides.
The BFG is a nearly-perfect little bedtime story,
and as such it lacks the dark subversive tone of some of Dahl's other works,
particularly Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory. It's rare nowadays to have a family film exist
simply to kindle the imagination but that's what The BFG does, ensuring Dahl's classic will be
remembered on the page and the screen.
Rating: 4 out of 5
