Dove Review

“The BFG” takes place in a land of the giants, with one good giant who becomes known by a little girl as “BFG,” short for “Big Friendly Giant.” Nine other giants are evil, bent on eating little children. A girl named Sophie (Rebecca Hall) spots BFG one night from the window of the orphanage where she lives, and BFG is obliged to snatch her away and take her to his home. He doesn’t want her telling others about him. Sophie is terrified at first but then soon realizes the giant has a kind heart. They begin to bond, and he keeps her safe from the bad giants, who at one point come uninvited to his house and search for the girl. They find her blanket and know that she’s there.

One adventure leads to another, and soon Sophie finds herself at the royal castle of the Queen, soliciting her help to defeat the bad giants. The queen meets BFG and is quite impressed. His delight in eating eggs and toast for the first time is priceless, as is his reaction to coffee, which he doesn’t like.

This wonderful film features adventure, fantasy, great special effects, and a good cast. I asked a mother at the screening I attended if I could ask her two daughters, ages 5 and 7, if they were scared at all. She said yes, and the two girls replied no, that they were not frightened and that they enjoyed the movie. We are awarding our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal to “The BFG,” for all ages, noting that parents should consult the content listing to make their own informed decisions. “The BFG” is going to be popular with the kids — and probably with many giant kids, also known as adults.

Dove Rating Details

0

Faith

None

0

Integrity

A giant snatches a girl from the orphanage but doesn't hurt her; several giants are interested in finding the girl and eating her; in a dream sequence, the girl dreams a giant eats her, but she wakes up and is okay; a giant sharpens a knife for a stew; a giant is a bully to BFG; giants toss a smaller giant around to each other like he's a ball; a giant uses torches on other giants' rears to get them to leave his home; a giant is pulled by the ear; revelation that a boy had previously been eaten by a giant; the newspaper says children are coming up missing; guards hold rifles on the good giant but are told to "stand down."

0

Sex

None

0

Language

None

1

Violence

A giant snatches a girl from the orphanage but doesn't hurt her; several giants are interested in finding the girl and eating her; in a dream sequence, the girl dreams a giant eats her, but she wakes up and is okay; a giant sharpens a knife for a stew; a giant is a bully to BFG; giants toss a smaller giant around to each other like he's a ball; a giant uses torches on other giants' rears to get them to leave his home; a giant is pulled by the ear; revelation that a boy had previously been eaten by a giant; the newspaper says children are coming up missing; guards hold rifles on the good giant but are told to "stand down."

0

Drugs

None

1

Nudity

A sign says, "Naked at my wedding"; shirtless giants.

1

Other

Several characters drink a fizzy drink that results in their flatulence; a girl admits that, in the past, she stole and told some lies; the military uses nets in an attempt to capture the bad giants.