Review by John Delia
Have you ever wondered if fairy tales are real or if Giants actually exist? Who catches our dreams and delivers them to us or are supernatural forces out there? The BFG will have you asking yourself these interesting questions and you’ll feel like a child once more. Now on Home Video available in Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download or get all three in a combo pack.
A little orphan named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) goes on a mysterious journey that will fill your hearts with excitement, adventure, with a new friend called ‘BFG’ (Mark Rylance). From the giant she will learn about a new and mysterious world from which he’s come and discover a better life for her to experience.
Sophie lives in an orphanage in a large house on a narrow side street behind the local pub. She has trouble with sleeping and stays up very late almost every night. She believes after 3 am that ghosts and mysterious things appear. One night after she watches the local townspeople depart from the pub Sophie sees something strange from her window.
When Sophie gets spotted by this big shadowy creature it kidnaps her and takes her to a world far away. So begins an adventure tale of the mysteries of giants and a friendship that grew between Sophie and BFG.
Director Steven Spielberg gives youngsters and oldsters an adventure that amazes and delights. He puts together a mysterious story and blends it all with spectacular special effects. His amazing ability to bring new and interesting plots to the big screen is just wonderful as witnessed by tales like the Adventures of Tin Tin, Hook, and E.T. He always seems to put things together right for families and envisions it to last for the ages.
The cast may not be familiar, but that’s a good thing. Especially the acting of Ruby Barnhill as the wide eyed Sophie who finds herself in a new world of giants. She makes her character vulnerable to this magical happening opening her mind to the experience and finding a way into the hearts of the youngsters who are watching it all in their own home. She reminds me of a similar actress that was able to make the audiences believers in 1982, upcoming star Drew Barrymore as Gertie in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. I can see Ruby getting more notice as she develops her talent and this is a very good start for her.
BONUS FEATURES
“Bringing the BFG to Life†Take a phizz-whizzing journey through the making of the movie lead by actress Ruby Barnhill (Sophie)
“The Big Friendly Giant and Me†A short about the friendship between the BFG and the little ‘bean’ who lived in Giant Country before Sophie
“Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of the BFG†A whoopsey-splunikers turorial of the BFG’s gloriumptious Gobblefunk
“Giants 101†Meet the frightsome giants portrayed by actors Jemaine Clemet, Bill Hader and more
“Melissa Mathison: A Tributeâ€
The BFG has been rated PG by the MPAA for action/peril, some scary moments and brief rude humor. Although there’s some big surprises that may startle little ones, for the most part it’s good for the whole family.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Perfect for Christmas after gift giving or a gift itself. (4 of 5 stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement, Rebecca Hall Rafe Spall and Bill Hader
Director: Steven Spielberg
MPAA Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Running Time: 1 hr. 58 min.
Video Release Date: November 29, 2016
Original Theatrical Release Date: July 1, 2016
Language: English (Descriptive Audio, French, Spanish language tracks)
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray (also available in DVD, Digital HD and combo pack)
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Video: 1080p Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Number of Discs: Combo 2 Discs + Digital HD
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment