The BFG - Fans of the book should love this film - Kid's Kornerrating : 3 stars + The Best Roald Dahl adaptations

on
"I loved the book and I liked the movie" - Caroline Matthews (RRs youngest daughter)

Popcorn, M&Ms and a large drink. Roll the film... This film seems to offer a perfect combination by bringing together one of the world's most celebrated children's author, , and one of the world's most celebrated film makers, . Can this magical combination deliver a giant result at the box office? 
Kid's Korner rating: 3.5 stars
Parent's Rating: 3 stars
    
             There are few films that have caused as much anticipation in our home like The BFG. Our ten-year-old daughter loves the Roald Dahl classic. She has been following the media to know all she can about this production. To have Steven Spielberg (E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial) helming the film adaption of her favourite book made the excitement around the release even more palpable. 

So, what's Speilbergs's adaptation actually like? 
             To those that are not familiar with the storyline, Dahl' story focusses on ten-year-old Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) and her unexpected friendship with the Big Friendly Giant (Academy-Award winner Mark Rylance). This orphan is whisked away to the land of giants and finds herself cared for by the gentle and charming BFG. As their friendship grows, Sophie gradually realises that the BFG has a magical role in the lives of human's dreams and she begins to enjoy her role of catching these dreams alongside her enormous friend. In the process of building their familial bond, Sophie unwittingly catches the attention of Bloodbottler (Bill Hader), Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) and the other giants who have less than savoury intentions for her and the rest of humanity. She and the BFG must work out how to convince the Queen of England (Penelope Wilton) to help thwart these evil plans and bring about peace in the lands of humans and giants.
             Steven Speilberg puts forward an ambitious effort in helping audiences to visualise Dahl's imaginative book. The advancements in computer generated imagery have finally caught up with the visionary styles of film makers like Steven Spielberg. The visual development of the story is the defining feature of this film and makes the journey captivating. 
               Spielberg captures the visual element of The BFG which is critical to support the characters and establish this fantasy world. The Big Friendly Giant is given the nuances of character and size that provide the believability within this absurd world developed of Dahl. The magical visuals are balanced with the miniature human element that is convincingly portrayed by Ruby Barnhill. Her performance was reminiscent of the acting prowess of Neel Sethi in The Jungle Book from earlier in the year. Both of these young actors rise to the challenge of acting within a computer generated world and prove they have the needed skills to support these iconic stories. 
          Even amongst these great effects, something is missing, The BFG  fails to rise above the ordinary. In the realm of  children's films this one does not manage to  connect with all ages. It can be said that much of the film is reliant on a thorough knowledge of the original story, which works well for fans of Dahl's classic. Those avid readers of the book will enjoy the subtleties of the film, but those who do not have this knowledge will be lost for a good portion of the film. Something that would have helped to connect the audience to the characters would have been an effective use of humour. This is a glaring component that is missing in  Spielberg's film compared to many of his other creations. Most of the funnier elements fall flat and do not connect with the adult members of the crowd. Feeling a bit lost and with few laughs along the way, there is a hope that during this giant's tale that there would be closure, but this hope is dashed and a satisfactory conclusion never quite arrives. 
             Steven Spielberg has worked hard to build a marvellous world for Sophie and the BFG in which to reside, but he leaves it without the needed heart to deliver a great film. Fans of the book will walk away satisfied, but it will be less than satisfying for those who are new to Dahl's story. The recommendation for anyone going along to this film would be to read the book with your children, grandchildren or friends and then get along to the visual spectacle that is The BFG. 

Reel Dialogue: What are the bigger questions to consider from this film? 

1. How should we respond to bullies? (Proverbs 6:16-19, Matthew 5:43-48)

2. What does the Bible say about dreams? (Amos 3:7, Ecclesiastes 5:7)


Dad asked the question on the ride home, 'What did I think of the film?' 
I loved it, outside of some slight changes in 
the ending and the size of the BFG (He is bigger in the book). The film was beautiful 
and the BFG was perfect with the way he spoke. I really liked it, but had to educate 
my family on the story. 


Russelling Reviews favourite Steven Spielberg family films: 
1 E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial 
2 Hook
3 The Adventures of Tintin
4 The BFG
5 Balto (Producer)

Russelling Reviews favourite adaptations of Roald Dahl books:
1 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2 Fantastic Mr. Fox
3 Matilda
4 James and the Giant Peach
5 Esio Trot

What is Kid's Korner? Click on the link and see. 

Kid's Korner are reviews written by Russell Matthews' with his kid's perspective and based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingrevs #bfgmovie #disney

Comments

Post a Comment