The BFG

Little orphan Sophie (bland newcomer Ruby Barnhill) is kidnapped by a benevolent giant (a brilliantly motion-captured Mark Rylance) who blows dreams into the bedrooms of sleeping humans in Steven Spielberg's visually dazzling but emotionally remote and muted adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's classic. A sluggish first half in which Sophie learns ogre lore and aimlessly wanders through gaudy fairy-tale trappings finally turns full-throttle fun fantasy when the BFG joins forces with the Queen (a game Penelope Wilton) to halt the threat of his even larger flesh-eating brethren. Erring more on the side of the light fantastic with awkward lowbrow humour - the Queen's farting corgis being the dubious highlight - this is more a kid-friendly experience than an adult one and certainly not in the ET class, though Melissa Mathison, scripter of both, does happily keep Dahl's gibberish dialogue intact. Twinkly-eyed Rylance's soulfully expert take on the BFG, however, is an asset everyone will love.