The BFG, based on the book I have never read, makes we want to go back and time and read the book. This film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is an amazing experience, a tender one, one without the obnoxiousness of you typical blockbuster (unfortunately, at the box office, this is no blockbuster). Heartwarming in the tradition of an early Disney picture, with the youthful energy of The Goonies and the silly humor of Hook. The plot, in a nutshell, concerns an orphan named Sophie kidnapped by the titular giant. Things get a lot more whimsical from then.
Achieved via motion-capture, Mark Rylance plays the BFG, a soft, and poor, speaking outcast amongst the giant community. He diets on smelly vegetation rather than humans, unlike his taller associates, and only takes the young girl because she is an insomniac who spotted him while she should have been in a slumber. Perhaps she should cut down on the coffee. She is played by newcomer Ruby Barnhill, a tremendous little actress who is sweet overall with a revivifying dose of realism. Curt when she needs to be, she raises concern over how the other tall men treat the BFG. If it all sounds like trite child-movie fare, then you are right. But Spielberg handles these scenes with the finesse only a director of his talent can, giving the two actors unbridled attention while they interact with delicate dedication in a grandiose cocktail of practical and computer-generated set pieces. You believe every word they say, and believe that she really is dwarfed by him, and everything just works during moments like these.
The other giants, on the other hand, feel artificial in the story, giving unnecessary conflict to what could have been a smaller, and more satisfying, story. Having nine other giants, opposed to perhaps two or three, detaches any personality from them; they look wonderful sure, but darned if I could tell any of them apart aside from their leader.
So what does a gentle giant do in his spare time, if he is not munching on little children? He collects dreams, and runs about the streets of (just?) London exchanging them to humans for a sort of distant interaction he so longs for. There is such magic when they enter this dream country, however brief of a visit it is, showcasing Spielberg's ability to extract a wild sense of "awe" not unlike the first shot of the Brontosaurus' in Jurassic Park.
If there was any moment the mean giants add something natural to the film, it is when they become keen on Sophie visiting the BFG's home and wreck the place in search of the little lady. This scene shows growth for the BFG, as he finally releases the rage and fends off the intruders with a hot iron, saving not only his new friend but also sending a message about standing up for yourself. What would have stumbled other less capable directors, here you feel the emotion in the big friendly giant, and you watch a man, in this case an imposingly tall one, broken with the passion he has for a friend. It is not exactly heartbreaking, but if there was any time I showed sentiment for a computer generated giant and a little girl, it was in this scene.
Sophie then devises a plan to go see the Queen, yes the Queen, by implanting her a nasty dream about the giant baddies, the BFG and herself. The plan works, and her majesty not only welcomes the girl and the BFG, but also brings in her armed forces to send the giants to a faraway island with nothing to eat but plants, and yuck, these carnivores want none of that. But none of this happens before an admittedly bizarre ten minutes or so of the BFG eating breakfast with the Queen, and the film makes all the giant-related jokes it could think of. It is a cheesy scene sure, but it is done so gingerly and charmingly. It would not have had the movie without it.
Without ever explaining itself too much, or giving much detail, The BFG is a tremendously fantastical film, and while watching it, felt as if I was a child watching what would be one of their favorite movies.
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