Book-to-movie adaptations are tricky work. What works in a book may not translate well to screen and that’s where Steven Spielberg‘s THE BFG stumbles. Each individual element of the movie seems like it should work, from the two time Oscar winner production designer Rick Carter to last year’s Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Mark Rylance as the title character. The music is beautiful as well. However, bringing realistic-looking giants to life when they eat children is a tricky proposition since visuals like that take the movie squarely out of the “family friendly” camp. THE BFG lacks the darker elements of the story, and that’s part of what makes it a bit dull.
The young girl who plays Sophie, Ruby Barnhill, doesn’t quite mesh with Mark Rylance‘s Big Friendly Giant. Their cadence is different and at times they seem to talk at each other vs with each other. The character of Sophie who worked well in the book comes off in the movie as a slightly unlikable know-it-all.
For an in-depth analysis of the themes in THE BFG, take a look below:
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.