The BFG

Blending live-action and computer-animation, director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's fantastical 1982 YA novel stars Oscar-winner Mark Rylance as the titular Big Friendly Giant. Set in 1980s London, the story follows 10-year-old orphan and lonely insomniac Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), who spies a 24-foot-tall giant lurking on the cobblestone streets, collecting and dispensing the phosphorescent dreams of unsuspecting sleepers. Reaching his hand through an open window, the grandfatherly-looking BFG plucks Sophie out of bed, because if word got out that giants roamed the city that would be the end of their nocturnal visits. So the BFG whisks terrified Sophie off to Giant Country, where he is constantly bullied by sinister Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) and Bloodbottler (Bill Hader). While the BFG sticks to a vegetarian diet of slimy snozzcumbers, his colossal cohorts are “cannybulls” (cannibals), kidnapping young “human beans,” so Sophie is in constant danger. Sophie and the BFG will eventually seek assistance from Queen Elizabeth II (Penelope Wilton) in Buckingham Palace. Much amusement here derives from the BFG's whimsical dialect, which is known as “gobblefunk” and is filled with garbled malapropisms. The BFG also deplores burping but celebrates flatulence, dubbed “whizzpopping,” which is set off by the upside-down bubbles in Frobscottle, a fermented snozzcumber beverage that he shares not only with Her Majesty but also her Welsh corgis. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a tribute to late screenwriter Melissa Mathieson (6 min.), a “Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of the BFG” segment (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the behind-the-scenes segments “Bringing the BFG to Life” (27 min.), “Giants 101” (5 min.), and “The Big Friendly Giant and Me” (2 min.), as well as bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fun Disney live-action film.] (S. Granger)