Disney's The BFG - movie review

I was always going to love The BFG. Roald Dahl has forever been a fixture in my life, and what’s more, I snagged a free ticket – the greatest of many perks in library work! However, I was honestly surprised at how much I loved it, nay, respected it.

Firstly, whatever kind of new-fangled expensive CGI techniques they used, I am on board completely. I generally have a fairly low cringe tolerance for anything even facing in the direction of the uncanny valley, but I am very happy to say they the film was never even close to such territory. The BFG’s enormous mug is actually very realistic, alternating between crinkly and charming and touchingly solemn. At first I was furious to discover that my primary school teacher was NOT cast in this role, but I’ve since eased up. Peter, you would have been marvellous – but Mark Rylance does a wonderful job.

The landscapes are colourful, fantastic, stunning enough to rival your favourite avant-garde/surrealist directors. I cannot stress enough how much I appreciated the use of colour, and the palette is very of the moment in its techni-coloured shades of nebula/galaxy. In true Dahl fashion, there are plenty of silly gags (read: farts) to allow for chuckles across the age spectrum, and also some sage life lessons – i.e., bullies sadly exist (Jemaine Clement is brilliant as the main antagonist, the Fleshlumpeater), families are often neither neat or nuclear, and happiness invariably occurs alongside a dose of sadness. Of course in the end, kindness prevails – but if you’re into having your heartstrings tugged *gently* then it’s pretty much a winner in that respect.

If I had any complaints, I suppose it would be that there was nothing really scary about the film, which, to dedicated Dahl fans, may seem an aberration – especially as (in my opinion anyway) the trailer seemed to promise some chills. And you know, it’s about a little girl being kidnapped by a giant man and taken away to a land where other giants – GIANT giants considering that The BFG is really a runt of a giant – eat little children. But, if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief, giving up on the more sinister side of Dahl’s oeuvre and making way for his sentimental elements, then I believe you will enjoy it. What it lacks in wickedness, it more than makes up for in lovely visuals, charm, silliness and warmth.

The BFG opens in New Zealand cinemas on Thursday 7 July, 2016.

Our thanks to Disney for providing the movie passes to our reviewer.

Excitement Level Over 9,000! Children's tales coming to the screen in 2016

I am a big fan of all things Disney. (Does it hurt my feminist credentials to admit that?!)

That's why I was so excited to find out that two Disney tales are returning to the silver screen this year; The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast. Whilst browsing Youtube, I was side-tracked by two other movie announcements; The BFG, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I got really excited, thinking about these upcoming movies, then I realised; ALL THE MOVIES I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO WERE KID'S MOVIES.  

However, with actors such as Eddie Redmayne, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba and Emma Watson, studios are breaking out the big guns. These are the kinds of films that bring up nostalgia for generations of movie-goers, and looks set to make them the major blockbusters of the year. I am definitely excited for Bill Murray as the bumbling bear Baloo. And Christopher Walken as the giant 'orangutan' King Louie? Genius. What am I saying? Go ahead, indulge your inner child.

The Jungle Book, with stars including the aforementioned Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray and child actor Neel Sethi, will be the first to arrive on NZ's screens, premiering in April this year. The trailer promises a sweet hearted, but action-packed story. Prepare to be dazzled by the beautiful Indian wildlife, and to have your heart stolen by the plucky new Mowgli.

The second to open in New Zealand this year is The BFG, premiering in July, with a cast of actors including Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall and our very own Jermaine Clement. There is only a teaser trailer out at the moment, but as Roald Dahl and director Steven Spielberg fans know, there's only so far you can (hopefully) go wrong.

*hyperventilates* Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. A Harry Potter prequel; what more can I say?! With an upcoming 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' play premiering in London this year, prepare for further Rowling mania. The announcement trailer doesn't give much away, but the plot basically is actor Eddie Redmayne playing 'Magizoologist' Newt Scamander, author of a future Hogwarts textbook on the subject, who chases down magical creatures in 1926 New York.

The second Disney story adapted for the screen, Beauty & the Beast, is technically not appearing to cinemas until 2017, but there is a lot of buzz around it already. Fans are freaking out about the casting of Miss Hermione Granger herself, Emma Watson, as book-loving Belle. With her large fan base and Brown University credentials, she is the perfect casting. Other actors in this astonishingly talented ensemble include Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, and Stanley Tucci.

What movies are you excited to see this year? Any other kids movies coming out this year that I've missed? Let me know in the comments below!