People without knowledge of the 1982 Roald Dahl novel might be wondering what BFG stands for. Allow me to clear this up in the case of the film… Big Flipping Disappointment! (I was going to use another word, but since this is a children’s movie…. I thought it best to keep things PG.)
Ten-year-old Sophie is an orphan with a fear of the things that go bump in the night. On one particular evening, after staying up far too late, she makes the mistake of checking out the window where she spots a giant scurrying about town. Since she was spotted, the giant had no choice other than to snatch her from her windowsill and take her home with him. While there, she learns just how lucky she is, since he is the only giant, the runt of the bunch, who doesn’t eat children. Together, they form a friendship and decide it’s time to stop his giant brethren from snatching and eating orphan children in her world.
Visually, THE BFG is incredible to look at. The scenery is incredible, and the BFG has incredibly kind eyes. There’s no doubt that Steven Spielberg knows what he’s doing on a visual front. With him bringing life to characters such as E.T., I really thought I would enjoy this film. He’s always been an incredible storyteller. Having said that, the story in THE BFG is missing something. I didn’t connect with Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), or anything going on in the story. Barnhill is exceptional as an actress, but they made her character stiff, and a bit whiny. There wasn’t a personal connection with the audience. Not enough for me to care.
Fact: I haven’t fallen asleep in a movie theater in over a decade. About 45 minutes in I dozed off for 20 minutes because I was bored to tears. Luckily, my twin sister was with me to assure me that I missed nothing, and that she, too, was bored.
The one scene that did grasp my attention was when they were hunting dreams by a tree. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I also give them props for sticking with the original language of the book. It couldn’t have been an easy task. Still, these things were not enough to keep me interested in the movie as a whole.
OVERALL RATING: 2 out of 5 stars (the 2 is for the visual effects)
The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams.
Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Says Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship, it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems.” Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
Directed by three-time Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg (“Bridge of Spies,” “Schindler’s List,” ”Saving Private Ryan”) from a screenplay by Melissa Mathison (“E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “The Black Stallion”) based on the best-selling book by Roald Dahl, THE BFG stars three-time Tony Award®, two-time Olivier Award and Oscar® winner Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies,” “Wolf Hall”), newcomer Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Downton Abbey”), Jemaine Clement (“Rio 2,” “The Flight of the Conchords”), Rebecca Hall (“The Gift,” “Iron Man 3”), Rafe Spall (“The Big Short,” “Prometheus”) and Bill Hader (“Inside Out,” “Trainwreck”).
THE BFG opens in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016, the year that marks the 100th anniversary of Dahl’s birth.
WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win FOUR (4) seats to the 3D advance screening of THE BFG on June 28 at 7pm in the St. Louis area.
Which books can you find the following Roald Dahl characters:
BRUNO
BADGER
MISS SPIDER
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWERS AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.
Rated PG
THEBFGOPENS IN THEATRES NATIONWIDE ON FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016
Steven Spielberg has unveiled the first teaser for Disney’s THE BFG.
The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – finally unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic “The BFG” to life.
Directed by Spielberg, Disney’s THE BFG tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.
“I think it was kind of genius of Roald Dahl to be able to empower the children. It was very, very brave of him to introduce that combination of darkness and light which was so much Disney’s original signature in a lot of their earlier works like in ‘Dumbo,’ ‘Fantasia,’ ‘Snow White’ and ‘Cinderella,’ and being able to do scary, but also be redemptive at the same time and teach a lesson, an enduring lesson, to everyone, it was a wonderful thing for Dahl to have done, and it was one of the things that attracted me to want to direct this Dahl book,” says Spielberg.
The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams.
Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Says Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship, it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems.” Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see Queen Victoria (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
Directed by three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg (“Bridge of Spies,” “Schindler’s List,” ”Saving Private Ryan”) from a screenplay by Melissa Mathison (“E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “The Black Stallion”) based on the best-selling novel by Roald Dahl, THE BFG stars three-time Tony Award® and two-time Olivier Award winner Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies,” “Wolf Hall”), newcomer Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Downton Abbey”), Jemaine Clement (“Rio 2,” “The Flight of the Conchords”), Rebecca Hall (“The Gift,” “Iron Man 3”), Rafe Spall (“The Big Short,” “Prometheus”) and Bill Hader (“Inside Out,” “Trainwreck”). The film is produced by Spielberg, Frank Marshall (“Jurassic World,” “The Bourne Ultimatum”) and Sam Mercer (“Snow White and the Huntsman,” “The Sixth Sense”) with Kathleen Kennedy (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Lincoln”), John Madden (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Shakespeare in Love”), Kristie Macosko Krieger (“Bridge of Spies,” “Lincoln”), Michael Siegel (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Rise of the Guardians”), Frank Smith and Naia Cucukov serving as executive producers.
Roald Dahl’s “The BFG” (Big Friendly Giant) was first published in 1982 and has been enchanting readers of all ages ever since. Dahl’s books, which also include “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach” and “Matilda,” are currently available in 58 languages and have sold over 200 million copies worldwide. “The BFG” is the only book of Dahl’s that has never been adapted into a feature film.
Originally created as a bedtime story, “The BFG” was Dahl’s own favorite of all his stories. “It was very important for us to be loyal to the language,” says Spielberg, “and the great writer Melissa Mathison, who also wrote ‘E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,’ wrote “The BFG.”
THE BFG opens in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016, the year that marks the 100th anniversary of Dahl’s birth.
DreamWorks Studios announced today that newcomer Ruby Barnhill has been cast as the young girl, Sophie, in Roald Dahl’s beloved classic story, The BFG. Steven Spielberg will direct the film adaptation of the children’s novel and will begin production in early 2015. THE BFG will open in U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016.
Published in 1982, The BFG is the tale of a young London girl and the mysterious Giant who introduces her to the beauty and peril of Giant Country. Barnhill joins Mark Rylance who has been cast as the “Big Friendly Giant.”
The BFG will be 10-year-old Ruby Barnhill’s first feature film role. She has been acting for two years and will appear in the upcoming BBC BAFTA award-winning children’s drama “Four O’Clock Club.” Ruby lives in Cheshire with her parents, younger sister and Tom the cat and is a member of her local youth theatre.
“I feel incredibly lucky and I’m so happy,” said Ruby Barnhill. “Sophie gets to go on this wonderful adventure and I’m so excited that I get to play her.”
“After a lengthy search, I feel Roald Dahl himself would have found Ruby every bit as marvelous as we do,” said Steven Spielberg. “We have discovered a wonderful Sophie in Ruby Barnhill.”
Luke Kelly, Managing Director of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate and Roald Dahl’s grandson, said, “The character of Sophie is one of the most endearing young heroes in Roald Dahl’s stories. She is as brave as she is curious and has an innate sense of wonder. Many congratulations to Ruby on landing the role. We hope that making ‘The BFG’ proves an utterly magical adventure for her.”
DreamWorks acquired the rights to the book in 2010 after Kathleen Kennedy brought it to the company. Melissa Mathison, who last teamed with Spielberg and Kennedy on “E.T.,” has written the screenplay. Spielberg, Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer will produce while Kennedy, John Madden and Michael Siegel are on board as Executive Producers. Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Somner are Co-Producers.
The Walt Disney Company is distributing the film in the U.S. and select international territories while Mister Smith Entertainment is handling distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. DreamWorks’ partner, Reliance, will distribute the film in India.
First published in 1982, The BFG was Roald Dahl’s own favorite of his stories. Today, the book is published in 38 foreign languages, including Vietnamese, Korean, Ukrainian, Indonesian, Albanian, Estonian, Hebrew and Welsh.
The BFG will be the latest Roald Dahl title to be adapted for stage and screen, following major films including “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (1971), “James and the Giant Peach” (1996), “Matilda” (1996), “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005) and “Fantastic Mr Fox” (2009). The phenomenally successful award-winning “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” continues playing to packed audiences in the West End and on Broadway. In 2015, the show is set to open in Sydney and begin touring the USA. Additionally, over a million people have seen the West End musical production of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” since its opening in June 2013.
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was one of the world’s most inventive, mischievous and successful storytellers. His stories are currently available in 58 languages, and, by conservative estimate, he has sold more than 200 million books. Ten percent of all the Roald Dahl royalties are donated to the two Roald Dahl charities – Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Roald Dahl Day is marked annually all over the world on Roald Dahl’s birthday, September 13th, and in 2016 there will be global celebrations for the Centenary of his birth, which will coincide with the release of The BFG movie.
For further information on The BFG and the wonderful world of Roald Dahl please visit:
