The best things about Steven Spielberg's "The BFG" are the lead performances. Immediately likable Ruby Barnhill is perfect as the plucky Sophie. Mark Rylance, working for a second time with Spielberg after winning an Oscar under the director's guidance for Bridge of Spies, conveys a gentle, genial spirit for BFG (Big Friendly Giant). It's a surprisingly complex performance for a special effects character. The first half of the movie gets off to a slow start as we see Sophie (Barnhill) up late one night and staring out the window. She is surprised to see a giant (Rylance), whom she later names BFG, wandering the streets. Fearful that she will tell people about him, he abducts her and carries her off to his home in the Land of the Giants. Lacking family in her world, she decides she want to stay, but there are problems when the other giants (who are not so friendly) want to eat her. Sophie devises a plan to defeat the giants but it requires that the BFG present himself to the Queen (Penelope Wilton).
The story lacks an emotional impact and while we care about Sophie and BFG's relationship, we're not as invested in it as we should be. Things are strangely muted. Spielberg succeeds in crafting a land of wonder and although his methods are flawless, they are not unique. Hailed for his groundbreaking use of CGI in Jurassic Park, he has been surpassed over the years by others who have pushed the special effects envelope. Perhaps because it's Spielberg, we hold him to a higher standard and expect greatness from everything he does. "The BFG" is pleasant summer entertainment, but not a classic like E.T. or Jurassic Park.
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