The BFG (Mark Rylance)

Live action remake of this film because live action is becoming the thing to do. Roald Dahl's classic 'children's' book that can easily scare any child younger than nine or ten years old (including yours truly when she was a child). Like all Disney films, even though there is a part of the film that is a little dark and threatening as a child the songs and fantasy moments help to get you through it. Seeing as this is Spielberg and not Disney it is safe to assume that there will be no fizz pop and wizz banging in this movie!

Mark Rylance claimed the Oscar two years ago for 'Bridge of Spies'- another Spielberg film and then made this film. Being what it was and also being that he had just won critical acclaim there was a lot of build up to this film but when Spielberg is directing something then you can expect the best from his chosen cast and his production team. As much as possible he looks like the original BFG (David Jason) but with some of his own features which helps to make it that little bit more real. In 'Bridge of Spies' Rylance was quite a silent and controlled character but this character is equally as dependent on Sophie as she is on him and he gets to show all the emotions, to do more with his face in one scene than he did in the entire of 'Bridge of Spies'. Every child wants to relate to the BFG because he is a friendly, almost father like figure and when we watch this film we think of our own father or someone who takes on that type of role. He is brilliant. I think that the best fantasy character for children will forever be Robin Williams as 'The Genie' in 'Aladdin' but Mark Rylance as 'The BFG' is close and will probably be the best BFG for the next twenty or thirty years.

This film allowed my mind to travel to another world in a way that I longed for it to do so years ago. I think that this version is actually better suited for adults. Let the original version take your child's mind to as far as it can go when you are that age and let this version take your adult mind to a completely different place, to a place that you are more suited to travel to and understand as an adult and only as an adult. The detail of the giant world makes it a little more real than the other version was and so you lose a little of that fantasy which you need when you are younger. Spielberg has not added anything to make the film any longer than the original, he has just used the extra minutes from the sons wisely.

I loved this film a little more than the original and I didn't feel that the live action took anything away from the film. Ruby Barnhill as Sophie was almost exactly as I remember the animated character and I can't give any higher praise than that to a girl who took a character so close to so many children's hearts and didn't try to change the character, she just became 'Sophie'.