BFG a winning blend of Dahl and Spielberg
(PG) Starring Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Rebecca Hall, Jemaine Clement Directed by Steven Spielberg 117 mins Steven Spielberg adapting Roald Dahl’s beloved tale The BFG should really be a case of shooting fish in a barrel, with two masters in entertaining children and children-at-heart coming together on the big screen.
That the resulting film is excellent viewing distracts from how challenging this adaptation about an orphan, a dreamcatching giant, his violent brethren and the Queen of England must have been to bring to life.
While it features a live-action lead in newcomer Ruby Barnhill – who unsurprisingly holds her own at the centre of this bigbudget, green screen-heavy pic under Spielberg’s direction – the titular character and his homeland of Giant Country are most reminiscent of the filmmaker’s work on Tintin.
Spielberg has become adept at either infusing CGI worlds with his trademark sensibility, or using these tools to tell his stories, depending on how you look at it.
With a pinch of Quentin Blake’s illustrations somewhere in the mix, he has certainly approached this tale with the best possible stylistic palette.
Mark Rylance follows up his Oscar-winning turn in Bridge of Spies as the titular character, and between his performance and special effects wizards, convinces as a big fellow with an even bigger heart.
Add some visual wonders, a supporting cast including Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement and some awesome corgis – as well as strong candidates for best fart gags of the year – and The BFG turns out a winner, blending Dahl’s big imagination with a surprisingly simple tale at its core that’ll defy you to not be won over. Steve Newall, Flicks.co.nz