First Take: The BFG- Spielberg delivers yet another masterclass in family film-making

SYPNOSIS: A girl named Sophie encounters the Big Friendly Giant who, despite his intimidating appearance, turns out to be a kindhearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because, unlike them, he refuses to eat children.

Roald Dahl books are generally very well suited for big screen adaptations- they have the right amount of realism combined with fantasy to allow audiences to escape from the real world for a few hours. And it’s with a very big grin on my face that I get to report that Steven Spielberg’s latest version of The BFG might be the best adaptation yet.

Every bit of this film has been very well thought out, with a brilliant script from Melissa Mathison (who wrote ET back in the day) allowing the characters to take the full spotlight they deserve, and with someone like Mark Rylance in the main role, that’s expected. Speaking of said Oscar-winner, he puts in another solid performance as everyone’s favourite giant, and even though it is a motion-captured role, his facial expressions are very clearly magnified in the finished product- something which is rare for a summer film like this. Also, new talent is introduced very well, as Ruby Barnhill pretty much steals the show as Sophie for the entire 2 hours. I see big things for her in the future. CG-wise, it’s visually incredible, with some great cinematography and another great John Williams score. However, the film is much more tonally darker than the 1989 animated version, so parents, please be very cautious.

THE VERDICT

Spielberg’s 30th film has all the makings of an instant classic- it has great performances, a gripping story and most importantly, it has the same qualities that made ET the huge success it was. This is a really neat film, and of course, the PG certificate that the BBFC have given the film means exactly that. This is just a great film full stop.

Rating: 5/5