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The BFG

A Big, Friendly time at the movies

A ten-year-old girl is snatched from an orphanage by a giant. Luckily for her, he’s an outcast among the (much larger) giants because he refuses to eat children. Steven Spielberg’s live action-CG blend, from a story by Roald Dahl, is clever and quietly inventive, a sweet-natured, effervescent story (with fart jokes) that will thrill kids and amuse adults. The giant is memorably played by Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), and Sophie by a spot-on Ruby Barnhill. A delight, but it lacks that little something that Spielberg often imparts to his fantasy films. This is not E.T. I was entertained but not transported. (117 min)