Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets to see this movie with my family. All opinions are my own.
BFG is in theaters, horray! This is a review based on my family’s opinions of the movie. My kids are 7,7 and 5. Is this movie safe for kids lower elementary aged?
As a child, I was an avid reader. There was nothing better than getting lost in the imaginary, crazy, usually odd world of a Roald Dahl book. The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, Matilda and BFG are classic childhood books.
That being said, sometimes the Dahl world can be a bit scary, which was a concern for me taking my children to this movie. We watched the trailer at least 4 times to determine if my girls (aged 7,7 and 5) could handle this movie–they were SO excited to see it. So off we went!
Verdict: this movie is the PERFECT introduction to the imaginative world of Roald Dahl. BFG is obviously a large giant, but they truly upped the friendly factor. Even in the dark streets of London, there wasn’t anything to be too frightened by. I made sure to keep a watchful eye on my children the whole movie and they were SO entertained by this movie. I’ve never seen them so interested in a movie before!
A bit of the story, if you’re unfamiliar: Sophie, an orphan, has a bit of insomnia. She knows that every night holds a “Witching Hour”, which she looks out for. One night, she is swept away to Giant Country by BFG. The way that they created BFG almost brought tears to my eyes–it was like they read my childhood imagination! My favorite part about BFG are his large, oversized ears that move with emotions.
In BFG’s home, Sophie learns that his job is to catch dreams and she sees all of his crazy devices. She also learns that he is not quite the best with words–he uses a lot of his own terminology. As he says “Cannot be right all of the time, I can be LEFT sometimes”, which I love. They have a lot they can learn from each other.
The world that Spielberg created on the screen was absolutely phenomenal. You are wrapped in this crazy, colorful world. Aside from Giant Country, there is also Dream Country.
Obviously, there are other giants in Giant Country. They are larger and much rougher than BFG. They bully him and treat him badly. For super young kids, they might be a little scary to see, especially in 3D. I was happy that they kept it quite PG though–they are bad guys, but nothing too gruesome happens. None of my children were covering their eyes during the scenes with the other giants, which was positive.
Sophie and BFG devise a big plan to stay safe from the other giants. They get help from the Queen of England, which was a bit of a silly scene. What I love about this movie is that they truly keep it from the kid’s point of view. The Queen believes Sophie immediately and doesn’t dismiss her crazy story.
Common Questions:
- Is this movie safe for children under 5 years old? Of all of the movies we’ve seen in the past year, this was one of the most mild. The larger giants might cause a little fear, but I feel it would be a great introduction to movies!
- Is this worth seeing in 3D? I believe so! The imagery is absolutely beautiful.
After seeing this movie, my girls are ready to read the books now! We’re starting with BFG, then James and the Giant Peach. SO excited!
Did you love Roald Dahl as a child? What were your thoughts on the movie?
Gah! I was bummed to miss this one, but I am so excited by your review since our kids seem to be scared with similar things. My favorite movie and book as a kid was The Witches, so I can’t wait to read and show my kids that one. We’ll have to make a date to go see this one too 🙂
Lauren Weber recently posted…Family Fun in July 2016 | Southeast Michigan