THE BFG REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 1982, Roald Dahl published his classic children's story, The BFG and it was widely popular. Since then, it has sold over 37 million copies in the UK. It's no surprise that one of Hollywood's most creative directors, Steven Spielberg, wanted to create a live action adaptation of the book. As a fan of the book and Spielberg's previous films, my expectations were high. Fortunately, this motion picture meets those expectations. It's as good as I hoped it to be.

Ten-year-old Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is in for the adventure of a lifetime when she meets the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance). Naturally scared at first, the young girl soon realizes that the 24-foot behemoth is actually quite gentle and charming. As their friendship grows, Sophie's presence attracts the unwanted attention of Bloodbottler (Bill Hader), Fleshlumpeater (Jermaine Clement) and other giants. After traveling to London, Sophie and the BFG must convince the Queen (Penelope Wilton) to help them get rid of all the evil giants once and for all

The screenplay was written by Melissa Mathison who sadly passed away last year. This is a script her family should be proud of as it's an faithful adaptation of the classic book it's based on. It captures the feel of Dahl's story. Of course, there are a few things that have been changed but they're only minor. Spielberg wanted this film to focus on the BFG and his relationship with Sophie and he has succeeded. Not only that, it's really entertaining and has a lot of funny moments. I think that this will appeal to family members of all ages, including parents who read the book when they were younger and children will especially enjoy watching the BFG in action.

The film uses CGI to bring the story to life and it's amazing. Rylance is unrecognisable in his performance as the title character and that includes the evil giants too including the leader of the pack, the Bloodbottler who is portrayed by comedic actor, Bill Hader. 12 year old Ruby Barnhill gives a strong performance as Sophie. She is brave, feisty and isn't afraid to stand up for herself which makes her instantly likable. 

The BFG's job is that he collects dreams and he blows them into people's windows and the dreams themselves look stunning. The colours all stand out and it creates a really beautiful effect.

This is definitely up there alongside Matilda, James And The Giant Peach and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory as one of the best films based on a Dahl book. 

So far, this is one of the most entertaining films I've seen this summer. I'd recommend it to fans of the book and young children.

7/10