Looking over the work of Roald Dahl, one starts to understand that his work is predominantly focussed on his mind as a child. His work has always been layered in the existential panic that the nasty old stories that the children used to tell him, and the authorities switches were just about to capture him. That’s what makes The BFG an interesting beast on his side. It’s less about the ways that human stupidity and childishness befall children (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and more about how a child with childishness and intelligence can make a difference with the help of those around him/her. That’s an upbeat message in a film market saturated with children either being the monsters in horror films or dough-eyed plot contrivances for the heroes to fall back on. What’s also saturated in a negative way? The market of big budget live action/CGI character films out there. The magic that CGI characters brought to films like Lord of the Rings and Terminator 2 has now devolved into a computer wasteland full of films from once great visionaries. The question as to whether or not Steven Spielberg aka THE MOST ACCESSIBLE BUT NOT NECESSARILY GREATEST FILMMAKER IN THE WORD, would drown in that comes to a head in The BFG and the results are better than even I expected. Brimming with CGI and live action creativity, Spielberg's The BFG is an imperfect, but wondrous work.
For those who grew up with Roald Dahl, you’ll get the idea here quickly. This is a film completely based on the mind of a child, but with all the dark depths of loneliness, and fear tossed back in for good measure. We follow Sophie, a small orphan, who is snatched from her bedroom and taken to Giant Country by the Big Friendly Giant, a runt giant who doesn’t eat children like the rest. From there, an adventure embarks. The surprising thing, though the reason for it is obvious, is that the darker subtext always hidden in Dahl’s work is not fully present here. Spielberg isn’t trying to upset anybody, but since the story plays like a vignette series of events rather than a flowing connected plot the weight of the picture doesn’t really stick around. An emphasis on over the horrors of the authority in the real world would have gone a far way to inform some of Sophie’s character, but young actress, Ruby Barnhill, is a classic Spielberg child actress, providing a performance that while not be fully realistic, hits the correct notes for the bossy little character. The emphasis on diction and intelligence in the voice makes for some incredibly charming sequences. Charming their way through the movie though is Mark Rylance, and some stunning if not always perfect CGI. The BFG himself sometimes seems to slip out of his own movie because of little patches of unpolished CG on the character, but the Academy Award-winning actor Rylance (oh shut up Stallone people, I wanted him to win too) brings his kind and gentle vocals and expressions to the character in a lovely way. To talk of Spielberg comes with the familiar comments. The camera movement flows with such efficiency that the confidence of 50 years becomes incredibly apparent. His calming camera shows such an epic sweep that even when the CG is off putting it’s still believable. The more childish moments of the movie, which mainly have to do with fart jokes, are actually pulled off well, with Spielberg playing the audience’s discomfort and embarrassment against them to the point of it becoming giggly. As a director, he continues to direct movies in a way that invokes a happiness. The BFG has a difficult time feeling fully there, as the effects and story seem to be unpolished, but the direction and charm on display here are enough to make it worth a watch. As a work, it also lacks the depth and fear of Dahl’s others but this is an enlivening picture. Spielberg really brings his talents and it makes the movie miles better than the rest of the live action/CGI crop. The BFG gets an 8 out of 10.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |