Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: July 1st, 2016
Starring: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall
Director: Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: I never thought I’d see the day where Spielberg actually directed a film for Disney, but since the house of mouse owns the rights to Indiana Jones, it’s not that far fetched I guess. Spielberg’s ability to expertly helm films with major fantasy elements should help the contents of Roald Dahl’s novel transition pretty well from page to screen. -LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: The BFG sees Steven Spielberg returning to the fantasy genre for the first time since Hook 25 years ago. The BFG has been a long time in the making, with various screenwriters and directors trying to adapt it for Hollywood ever since Roald Dahl released the book in 1982. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this whole project is the casting of Mark Rylance as the titular BFG. Rylance, fresh off his Best Supporting Actor Oscar win for Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, is an astonishingly good actor who has largely stuck to theater work and appeared in films few and far between over the years. With this, it’s nice to see he’s finally coming around to appearing in bigger Hollywood productions more often. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 3 out of 5. Visually, The BFG looks stunning. The color palette sticks with browns, greens, and blues which is a factor I think Dahl would enjoy seeing. The special effects on the giants is a very solid blend of CGI and motion capture, with Mark Rylance getting the main focus as the titular character. The trailer definitley inspires wonder, but there’s no doubt that the film is being aimed towards a younger demographic. However, Spielberg did the same thing with E.T., and there’s no question that that film appealed to children of all ages. Hopefully The BFG does the same. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 4 out of 5. Spielberg has always been one of the best directors at conveying a sense of awe and spectacle to the big screen, and that works incredibly well here. There are some really fantastical images on display in this trailer that a lesser director might not have captured as well as Spielberg has. Rylance looks to be having a ton of fun as the BFG, which is very impressive considering this is a motion capture performance. Even through that, he is able to really bring a great sense of kindness to the role. The role of the little girl Sophie has gone to a complete newcomer in Ruby Barnhill, and she really seems to have a great grasp on her character even at a young age. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Rent. The BFG might be a fun watch from the comfort of my own couch. I love Spielberg, and I love Dahl’s stories, so the two should be a fantastic combo. -LJF
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Rent. This falls just out of my age group in terms of wanting to go out to the theater and see this, but Spielberg is still Spielberg and I would be contrite if I didn’t at least catch up with this the moment it became available to rent. – JTM
The BFG stomps into theaters on July 1st, 2016
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