Currently, advertisements on TV and social media, such as YouTube, are promoting the upcoming movie “The BFG," otherwise known as the “Big Friendly Giant." The movie is based off a storybook of the same name by Roald Dahl, one of my favorite authors of all time. I grew up reading his stories, and "The BFG" is one of my favorites.
What made Ronald Dahl so interesting for me was the fantastical way he described the events of the book. There is an element of magic among many, if not all of them. (Unfortunately, I wouldn’t know, since I am unsure if I’ve read all his books.) The main character often as super powers or meets fantastical creatures who take them on quite the adventure. However, thinking on the book alone, "The BFG," among other books of Dahl’s, have the child character who is often an orphan and/or living in harsh circumstances, as seen with his other characters, such as James in "James and the Giant Peach" and Matilda, in, well, "Matilda." "The BFG" also has a character described as thus, though I will not divulge (just to avoid giving away any of the story).
What Dahl does that really grabs the reader is by giving the reader a story about a child who has a harsh life a wonderful outlet to be happy. Who wouldn’t want to cheer for a character like that? To go off on a tangent, even his characters that are naughty, such as his Fantastic Mr. Fox, are cheered on in the story (even though, really, we’re the stupid farmers digging the giant hole). He is great and getting rapport for his characters, and he shines the spotlight on what usually is the “lesser” character. After all, who doesn’t like the underdog winning? His stories are witty and cunning, with the smaller protagonist often outwitting the dumb brutes, as seen in "Fantastic Mr. Fox," and soon, on the big screens, "The BFG."
However, I do admit, there is a tinge of horror to his stories, like the brothers Grimm (though, albeit less gory, maybe…?) In his stories, there are children being turned to mice and eaten, and slightly descriptive on the “crunching of bones” and the finding of children's’ bones. (Referencing to, "The Witches," "The Enormous Crocodile," and "The BFG"). It does give the push toward these unsavory characters toward justice, as you cheer for retribution and victory for the main character, though it might not be so family-friendly.
Now, I don’t know how Spielberg is going to interpret those parts, but from what I see, I see one of my favorite author’s books coming to life, and I’m pretty excited. I’ll just cover my ears and eyes at the scary parts.
