Spielberg Does It Again..."The BFG"

The BFG (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Jermaine Clement, Bill Hader,

Directed by Steven Spielberg

The Story:

Sophie (Barnhill) spots a giant (Rylance) outside of the orphanage one night. Since he was seen, he snatches Sophie up and runs away with her back to the land of giants. But this is no ordinary giant that eats kids, he actually befriends Sophie and the two begin to become friends. However, a human in the land of giants soon attracts the unwanted attention of the other giants that live there, and soon they are out to eat the delicious morsel.

It seems like Spielberg only makes two kinds of movies:

Those that become instant classics for generations

or

Those that are beautifully average and overall forgettable in the grand scheme of the movies.

This one falls in the latter category.

It's beautiful to watch, but really doesn't hold any interest for me to see again.

That's not how a family movie should be.

Of course, given Spielberg's own filmography, he doesn't really do "family" films all that often, the last one probably being E.T. back in the early 80s.

The last time he tried one specifically for younger audiences (I assume) would be Hook, and that one was critically and commercially shot down, so maybe he's wise to stay away from this type of movie and concentrate on action films and period dramas.

The voice cast for all of the giants do great work, and Rylance imbues the BFG with a wonderful spirit.

Barnhill will hopefully return in other films as she does a great job leading 85% of the movie for her first time on the big screen.

So the film itself is enjoyable enough, just nothing I feel would be one worth watching again in the future.

Final Grade: C+