Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Three and half stars)
Star Cast:
Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus
What’s Good: Speilberg’s The BFG hits the right notes for kids and adults. The film’s moving storyline clubbed with a marvelous execution make up for a great watch!
What’s Bad: The dubbed version of the film becomes highly irritating thanks to a Bhojpuri accent given to Mark Rylance’s gentle giant.
Loo Break: If needed!
Watch or Not?: The BFG is a lovely watch for both kids and adults. Although I would strictly suggest you to choose the original (English) version over the dubbed one!
User Rating:
On a fateful night, little Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) who’s grappling with insomnia, lands her eyes on an unusual thing in the eerie streets of London. Like what she’s heard in stories told by her Matron, she ends up facing a big giant (Mark Rylance) who soon whisks her away to the ‘Giant world’ (Daitya nation in Hindi).
Initially scared, Sophie soon realizes that he is a kind hearted, vegetarian giant who does not intent to eat her. The Stockholm syndrome starts to develop.
They become friends until the rest of his kind such as the blood sucking giant, the insect eating giant and the flesh eating giant confront him about bringing a human back home.
Will the Big friendly giant (Bade Farishte Ji) be able to save Sophie from the clutches of the other giants is what is left to see.
The BFG Review: Script Analysis
Adapting Roald Dahl’s famous classic The Big Friendly Giant, Spielberg tones it down slightly with his writers and comes up with an endearing tale of friendship, kindness and love in a beautiful manner.
To make the movie kid-friendly, we do not see any dark stuff on the giant’s part which differs slightly from the book.
As per the book, BFG’s speech patterns are hazy and hence is often seen messing up words whilst talking. In this Hindi version of the film, the wordplay goes like ‘Maharani’ becomes ‘Marjani’ and so on.
The melancholic journey of BFG and Sophie is presented with great emotional highs and lows through a tight narrative.
While fart jokes are rarely funny, the one in this film is a total exception. It is sure to make you laugh like a kid!
A little bit of action too is enthused in the script with a vehicular rollerskating scene where the other giants bully BFG.
The film slightly slows down with a few blank spaces in the plot, until it once again picks itself up with Sophie’s smart plans to save herself and her friend.
The second half portion with Queen of England may seem outstretched but is actually a visual delight.
The BFG Review: Star Performance
Talking about acting, after his famous works such as The Bridge Of Spies and Lincoln, Mark Rylance brings to life the Big Friendly Giant in the most lovable manner ever. This motion capture has him look all lanky and shabby yet so likable with the kind eyes.
Ruby Barnhill too packs a punch as Sophie who is a confident, well-read, brave girl. She has no scare in correcting her giant friend every now and then with his fuzzy language. Ruby reminds us a lot of Mara Wilson’s Matilda act.
Coming to the voiceovers, with his famous baritone, Amitabh Bachchan lends his voice to Rylane’s giant. No doubt that he is splendid but thanks to a poor translation and the awful twang, Big B’s vocal antics seem slightly over the top for a gentle Rylance.
As for Sophie, Parineeti Chopra seems to be trying hard to sound like a child more than enthusing it with the right emotions.
Gulshan Grover dubs for the deadly giant who’s hunting Sophie. Grover does a great job and blends well with the visually disgusting giants.
The BFG Review: Direction, Music
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Dahl’s novel is like poetry in motion. The stunning visuals keep you hooked all through, right from the very first scene of London’s eerie streets from the post war times.
The director with his trusted cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski brings to the screen a beautiful representation of the Giant country and the place where dreams are captured.
The entire scene where we see BFG taking Sophie along to capture dreams is mesmerizing. Dreams flying around like fireflies is captured brilliantly for a 3D viewing.
Also, the sequence of BFG visiting the Queen is directed so cleverly that one has to chuckle all the way through it. Be it the intelligent display of stuff like how vintage clocks and pianos become BFG’s dinner table and swords become knives for his lavish breakfast. Also, how the otherwise matured Sophie is seem gulping down whipped cream laced strawberries at the breakfast with Queen, a subtle reminder of her being a little kid who has lost out on such amenities and love.
The background score is significant of kids fantasy film and could have been tweaked a little for additional fun.
BFG’s pace is slightly slow and that could serve as a problem to most of us who are accustomed to speedy films.
The BFG Review: The Last Word
The BFG is a marvelous film thanks to Mark Rylance’s adorable portrayal as a giant and Speilberg’s direction that makes us embrace the inner child in us. A 3.5/5 for this fun ride to the Giant country!
The BFG Trailer
The BFG releases on 29th July, 2016.
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