The BFG

The only reasons I haven't given this film 10 out of 10 is because the scene where Sophie and the BFG watch dreams is a bit too short despite being a lovely scene which I think should be longer than it is and there is a tiny part of this film which I don't like. But this film is still a brilliant and excellent movie. It has good animation which is nice to look at and is a film about dreams which I think is a very interesting subject. The acting in this film is good and it doesn't change too much from the book it is based on, so it is a faithful adaptation of that book. However it does make the BFG slightly nicer than he is in the book, which is a good change because he is slightly too unkind in the book. The songs in this film are catchy but not corny, and this film has a happy feeling to it. The music in this film is good for this film and good in general and this film is funny. The characters in this film who are meant to be likeable are. The BFG is sometimes unkind but it wouldn't be true enough to the book if he was never unkind, and the characters in this film who are meant to be hated are very good villains. I like how this film has a happy ending and a clever storyline, for example it is a very clever idea for the Queen to become convinced that giants are eating children because she has dreamt it and part of her dream becomes true.

Roald Dahl's books are often victims of horrible screen writing and I feared the BFG would be the same kind of movie but I shouldn't have worried. I've read The BFG several times but didn't see this movie until recently. I heard that Roald Dahl himself even liked this adaptation and I can certainly see why. It's very faithful to the book. Of course, it's a little campy since it's a product of the late 80s but somehow that adds to its charm. I found this film highly enjoyable, keeping a similar tone to Dahl's writing and adapting it for the screen very well. I would definitely recommend this movie to those who had read the book but if you haven't, it's still a decent movie. There's talk of a remake which I think could also be good and I'm glad for it because it might make people notice this movie. Like I said in the title, it's not a perfect film but it's good.

Its a timeless classic that never grows old! Its a novela heavily based on the "The BFG" by Roald Dahl. Typically a film meant for children, however any age can enjoy this incredible masterpiece! With graphics beyond its time, if you haven't already watched it you're missing out. I highly recommend you give it a watch and read the book while your at it!

THE BFG is the first adaptation of the famous Roald Dahl novel of 1982. It's a straight animated version of the story that was originally shown at Christmas on TV when first released. Comparisons will obviously made with the big budget live action version recently released to cinemas, and I think both versions are of a comparable quality. Obviously, this one is much cruder in terms of animation, and made on a fraction of Spielberg's budget. However, it's just as warm-hearted if not more so, and it seems to capture Dahl's essence in a more convincing way; there are no tacked-on action bits as in the Hollywood version. David Jason is a more endearing protagonist than Mark Rylance, too. The rest is fun, a bit childish in places, but good for Dahl fans.

I remember this film from when I was very little; while some of the animation hasn't quite held up over time, the story is of course perfect and the acting is superb. David Jason is "my" BFG and I'll never forget how much I loved watching this film as a small child. The story really is brought to life and it doesn't feel sanitised - the 'eye' of the BFG's journey into Giant Country is still weird and eerie, while the nastier giants remain terrifying! The BFG's dream-catching remains enchanting and the smaller details such as the clocks used to make a table are so appreciated. While it looks a little worse for wear, you really can't beat this for a wonderful, true adaptation of the original story, with a lot of heart.

It seems that Roald Dahl's books are never going to be faithfully made into films. Considering that this is a cartoon, there are some rather obvious differences to the book. The snozzcumbers have changed from black and white, several feet long cucumbers into black and red aubergines. The man-eating giants were supposed to be heavily tanned - due to lying around in a baking sun. The cartoon gives them greenish skin. Then they use the "Jack" dream chapter from the book as a cliffhanger ending. Then in "Witches" style, they change the end entirely. The book has the BFG stay in England (living in a large house next to Buckingham Palace) and with a pet elephant for him to ride. Sending him back to Giant land is an unnecessary plot point. I'm a huge fan of Dahl's books and would prefer his genius to remain untampered. Sadly, filmmakers don't see it that way. Next time a Dahl book is picked for filming, have someone who respects the book.

I watched this with my little nephews last night. Judging by their reactions the six year old loved it but the four year old was not too sure. We thought it was great. The animation is pretty simple for this day and age but far better than a lot of TV stuff. The story was fun and the boys didn't seem to mind that the central character, Sophie, was a girl. I think we all got a bit bored in the last third with the whole queen bit but the Army and RAF going in with helicopters and the like pepped things up. It was nice to see a more restrained operation by the military rather than the guns blazing treatment. Dahl knew that himself so it was good that the film stuck to that. As the only adult I wanted the film to carry on the sinister aspect it started out with. All three of us agreed that the human eating giants were a lot of fun, though. All in all a good little film for little boys and girls. And grown-ups can enjoy it too. But when you have Roald Dahl as the writer that generally is the way.

I loved reading Roald Dahl's novels when I was younger, especially Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I also liked the film adaptations of some of them (most notably 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' plus the 2005 remake, 'Matilda,' 'James and the Giant Peach' and this one, 'The BFG'). I had this on video as a child, rented the DVD when I was 18 and watched it on YouTube for the first time in eight years earlier today. Although the character animation was often flickery and sometimes slow, the backgrounds were well-drawn and the scenery of Dream Country was absolutely beautiful. The story was mostly faithful to the book, albeit Sophie having short red hair instead of long blonde hair as shown in the book illustrations, but I found the climax where several helicopters drop the mean human-eating giants in the pit forgettable. In spite of this, most of the scenes are memorable and the Bloodbottler entering the BFG's cave startled me today and it also scared my brother when he was 16 and watching this film with me when I rented it. The standout scenes were those involving Sophie being snatched from her orphanage by the BFG and the BFG showing her around his cave, offering her some Snozzcumber and Frobscottle (leading to the scatological yet funny Whizzpopper scene), making her a new dress and making a little boy (who has a Danger Mouse poster on his wall if you look closely) dream of becoming invisible when pressing his belly button and frightening his teacher. The music was full of charm and tension, even though some of it had late 80s written all over it, and I liked the Whizzpopper song and the dreamy 'Sometimes, Secretly.' As for the dialogue, the BFG's was the funniest due to it being grammatically incorrect and containing hybrid words. When I saw this as a child, I cried towards the end when the BFG said goodbye to Sophie and she wanted to be with him forever and always. Even though I didn't cry at that scene earlier today, I still found it a touching way to end the film. Like 'Igor (which I enjoyed even more second time around),' this is another film where I increased my rating due to finding it a nostalgic delight that was worth a re-visit after several years. 9/10.

This is an animated film based on a Roald Dahl tale. It's nothing too special, nevertheless a decent alternative to other more popular animated movies. The character Sophie is cute and endearing and the best drawn character of the movie. Most of the characters are ugly, particularly the giants. The "BFG" of the title means "Big Friendly Giant" and refers to the movie's only good giant. The others are vicious. The BFG is like a giant "E.T.". Not that he looks any similar to E.T. but, just like E.T., his beauty is on the inside. Yes, because as for the outside... The evil giants are horrifying and gross, being Bloodbottler the most extreme on this. Fleshlumpeater is the biggest and scariest, but somehow he doesn't gross me out as much as the other mean giants. There is some nice soundtrack and the artwork is generally very good, with some magical special effects and some more special visuals in certain scenes. The story, without being "solid as a rock", is however entertaining and involving. A rather decent story, fair to say that. And it's easy to sympathize with the BFG and especially Sophie. There are some rather touching moments with Sophie and her friend giant. I rate this as a 6. I guess it's a fair rating.

I never saw the 1989 film adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book The BFG when I was growing up, and I don't know whether or not that's a good thing. On one hand, I could have enjoyed the film as a nostalgic trip down memory lane, yet I could have also been horrified at just how badly the film has aged. I did, however, read the book as a young nipper, along with other Dahl classics such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, so I'm familiar with just how good a word-smith Dahl was, and how he managed to forge these often creepy and macabre tales into something that children could enjoy without being too terrified. Brian Cosgrove's adaptation, for all its sporadic charm, has faded into obscurity since its 1989 release with good reason. Beginning at an orphanage run by the nasty Mrs. Clonkers (Myfanwy Talog), young girl Sophie (Amanda Root) sees the outline of a gigantic figure blowing a trumpet through the window of a house down the road. Before she has a chance to scream, she is grabbed by a huge fist and whisked away to another land inhabited by grotesque giants who feed on children. Lucky for her, she was taken by the Big Friendly Giant (David Jason), who is the only vegetarian giant in his world, and whose day job it is to blow happy dreams into the minds of sleeping children. But with the knowledge of the rest of the giants gobbling up scores of children, Sophie hatches a plan with the BFG to notify the Queen of England (Angela Thorne) and put a stop to the evil giants for good. The first twenty minutes or so of The BFG is actually quite delightful, as we meet the lovable lunk and learn of his diet of the disgusting snozzcumbers, and he is wonderfully voiced by national treasure David Jason. The song 'Whizzpopping' isn't particularly good or catchy, but there is a giddy delight to be had with watching the BFG and Sophie farting with glee. Yet, without Dahl's written narrative, the film quickly becomes tedious and the story grinds to a near-halt. Cosgrove Hall - set up by director Cosgrove and his friend Mark Hall - animated countless children's TV adaptations from the 1970's up until its demise is 2009, but the animation here is stodgy. There were obvious budget constraints and this shows in the backgrounds, which are often so bland ad static it drains the film visually. It has its charms, especially if you grew up in Britain, but I would stick with the beloved book.