THE BFG (PG)

Released By Walt Disney Pictures
Review By Adam Mast

This collaboration between Steven Spielberg and the late, great screenwriter, Melissa Mathison (the two previously worked together on a little film called E.T.)  marks the first time “The Beard” has worked directly with Walt Disney Pictures. THE BFG is based on the popular Roald Dahl children’s book of the same name and while this film is wildly uneven at times, there’s no doubt that even what some might construe as a minor Spielberg effort isn’t without moments of sheer technical brilliance and emotional gravitas. Not surprising given that Spielberg doesn’t just make movies; He eats, drinks, sleeps, and breathes them.

Young Sophie (played by cute and lively Ruby Barnhill) hasn’t had an easy childhood. This tenacious dreamer spends her days making the best of her stay at a London-based orphanage. Late one night, this spunky youngster is plucked from her surroundings and whisked away to giant country by a gentle giant called the BFG (played affectionately by the great Mark Rylance.)  Quite obviously, Sophie is initially terrified by both her abductor and her new surroundings, but shortly thereafter, she begins to bond famously with the BFG, a sweet-natured creature whose life isn’t much easier than his new orphan friend. It seems that in giant country, the BFG is the runt of the pack, and he’s picked on constantly by the considerably larger giants in his village. What’s more, once these man-eating heathens discover that one of their own might be harboring a human child, the BFG and Sophie find themselves in a world of danger.

THE BFG offers up a most interesting fusion of tones; It’s scary, it’s adventurous, it’s dramatic, it’s heartfelt, and it’s funny but above all, it’s whimsical in nature and that should come as no surprise as it was penned by the same man who wrote “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Again though, as a film, THE BFG is wildly uneven. It starts off strong enough, plunging Sophie into adventure almost immediately but the final act, in which Sophie and her new found friend team up with the Queen of England and head out on a giant-hunting mission, almost feels like it belongs in an entirely different movie. Likewise, there’s something a little bit off in terms of the way the film resolves the plot thread involving these dimwitted giants. I haven’t read the book, but I couldn’t help but wish that Spielberg and Mathison would have taken certain liberties with the source material so that this film adaptation simply would have flowed better.

Having said all of that, there is no doubt that THE BFG is quite the technical marvel. The giants themselves are a little too cartoony. The visual effects team trades in the photo real nature of the apes in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES for something more akin to the orcs in the recently released WARCRAFT. No doubt, this was done to give THE BFG more of a children’s storybook feel, but it didn’t quite work for me. Thankfully, the giants are still engaging thanks to the lively work of Jemaine Clement, Bill Hader, and Adam Godley just to name a few.

While the overall look of the giants tends to be a bit off putting, there’s no doubt that visually speaking, the rest of this picture is quite extraordinary. From the set design, to the integration of live action and animation, to a positively spellbinding, dreamlike sequence in which the BFG takes Sophie to a secret place where he catches dreams in an effort to better the lives of children, Spielberg handles these intricate technical proceedings effortlessly.

As expected, Spielberg gets the absolute best from his cast, too. Newcomer Barnhill is delightful generating fierce independence, defiance, and attitude and mixing it with an undeniable sense of warmth, but the real standout here is Rylance. His gentle giant is both disarming and endearing and the fashion in which this BRIDGE OF SPIES Oscar winner completely bastardizes the English language, is a masterstroke. This is an amusing and all together beguiling turn from a wonderful actor, and again, while the giant designs didn’t entirely work for me, there’s no doubt that Rylance’s heart and soul come through, particularly in the BFG’s facial expressions. This is a complex motion capture performance and Rylance nails it.

It should also be noted, that together, Barnhill and Rylance make quite a team. Their bond is absolutely genuine. Look no further than a frightening moment in which Sophie contemplates jumping from the balcony of the orphanage. What transpires is, perhaps, the most emotionally charged scene in the whole movie.

THE BFG is both a kids film and a movie for the young at heart. Yes, it’s uneven and yes, it’s plagued by one too many fart jokes, but there are several wonderful moments to be found in this endearingly odd fantasy from our most celebrated storyteller; A storyteller audiences often take for granted.

Is this E.T.? Of course not. There’s only one E.T. And while THE BFG doesn’t quite measure up to Spielberg’s greatest work, it’s a far cry from his worst. At the very least, it’s a joy seeing “The Beard” play in this kind of a universe again and it has this particular fanboy salivating at the notion that he’ll be jumping into an adaptation of  Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One,” next.