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The BFG Blu-ray Review

“The BFG” is Steven Spielberg’s worst film.

Based on the book by legendary author Roald Dahl, “The BFG” revolves around a London orphan girl (Sophie) whose life is turned upside down when the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) takes her to Giant Country. You see, the BFG keeps her captive because she cannot reveal the existence of giants to mankind. While in Giant Country, Sophie encounters many magical things, but also experiences real danger in the form of 9 mean giants (led by Fleshlumpeater) who bully the BFG and eat humans. Can the 9 giants be stopped?

Roald Dahl is one of those authors whose work can be a tough nut to crack on the big screen and this is never more evident than with Spielberg’s meandering mess “The BFG.” Most of the film’s problems stem from the fact that this should have never been a live-action movie. Granted, the best part of the entire film is live-action oriented as actress Ruby Barnhill (Sophie) is the clear MVP here, but everything else around her spirited performance is entirely unconvincing.

Now, some folks have praised the CGI in “The BFG,” but I find it to be nightmarish. Between the cringe worthy fart sight gags (they are worse than you can imagine) and the utterly creepy looking Mark Rylance BFG (why is Rylance the only actor who looks like his giant character?), the visuals are downright distracting. Had the film been animated, it would have been much easier to swallow the story, the world, and Dahl’s inventive phrases plus we would have all been spared the funky visual effects. Instead, “The BFG” suffers the same fate of other stories such as “The Cat In The Hat” and “How The Grinch Stole Christmas?” that fall flat in live-action form.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? The picture quality is A+ material. Just look at the clarity of the image and the amount of details you can spot on everything.

Audio Track: 7.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? It should come as no surprise that the audio track is also perfection. The lively film is paired with an equally lively track.

Extras:
* DVD copy and Digital copy.
* Disney trailers.
* “Melissa Mathison: A Tribute”- A touching tribute to the late screenwriter of “The BFG” which features interviews with everyone from Steven Spielberg to Kathleen Kennedy.
* “Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words Of The BFG”- An extra centering around the Gobblefunk language.
* “Giants 101”- A featurette on the giant characters and the actors that portray them via motion capture.
* “Bringing The BFG To Life”- A 27 minute featurette that contains video diaries from Ruby Barnhill (who plays Sophie), discussions about Roald Dahl and bringing the book to the big screen, and extensive behind-the-scenes footage.
* “The Big Friendly Giant And Me”- An animated short.

November 30, 2016 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Mark Rylance, Roald Dahl, Steven Spielberg, The BFG Blu-ray Review, The BFG Movie