The BFG Christian Movie Review (2016)

Guidance: Talk Together

This fantasy adventure has a warm core of friendship, courage, and protecting others, but it also includes dark peril that may unsettle younger children. The main concerns are kidnapping, repeated threat from man-eating giants, and a fantasy dream-world framework that parents may want to talk through.

Why This Guidance Level

The BFG stays within family-film territory, but its danger is more intense than its gentle title may suggest. Sophie is abducted, repeatedly fears being eaten, and faces ongoing threat from hostile giants. The fantasy material is not occult-heavy, yet the film does use dream-catching and nightmare-planting ideas that sit outside a Christian understanding of spiritual reality, so many families will want conversation alongside viewing.

Faith & Worldview Perspective

The film strongly affirms courage, loyalty, compassion, and using influence to protect the vulnerable. Its moral center is mostly clear: evil should be resisted, friends should stand up for one another, and even someone small can help confront great wrong. The main worldview tension is its fantasy treatment of dreams and nightmares as powers that can be captured, delivered, and used to shape people. That is imaginative storytelling, but it can be worth reminding children that real hope, peace, and truth come from God, and that Christian confidence rests in Jesus Christ rather than in magical forces.

Truths Reflected

• Friendship across differences is treated with dignity and care.
• Courage and perseverance are used in service of protecting others from harm.

Tensions to Discuss

• Dreams and nightmares are handled as magical forces that can be collected and planted, which may conflict with a Christian view of spiritual reality and why a parent may want to discuss where true peace comes from.
• The story leans on fantasy power to solve problems, so parents may want to contrast that with Christian hope in Jesus Christ and wise dependence on God.

Content & Discernment Markers

Occult & Spiritual Content

• The story includes a fantasy system in which dreams and nightmares are caught, carried, and given to sleeping people. One troubling moment involves a nightmare being planted in Sophie’s sleep to convince her of danger. This is presented as story-world magic rather than real-world spiritual instruction, but parents may want to discuss the difference between fantasy devices and the peace God gives in Christ.

Sexuality & Relationships

• Sexual content does not stand out here. Relationships are centered on friendship, protection, and trust rather than romance.

Identity Themes

• The film values those who seem small, strange, or out of place. Sophie and the BFG are both outsiders, and the story treats their differences as a setting for empathy rather than self-invention. Parents may want to discuss how every person’s worth comes from being made by God, not from fitting in.

Violence & Intensity

• Sophie is snatched from her room and taken away against her will, creating immediate fear and confusion. For younger viewers, the abduction itself may be one of the most intense moments.
• A central threat throughout the film is that other giants eat humans. Sophie believes she may be eaten, and at one point a giant nearly does eat her before she is rescued. The danger is fantasy-based, but the idea is still dark and may prompt discussion about fear and safety.
• Hostile giants pursue Sophie, damage the BFG’s home, and hurt him in tense scenes. The peril is stylized rather than graphic, but it is repeated enough to shape the viewing experience for sensitive children.

Language & Humour

• Language is mild overall. The main issues are insulting lines such as “you’re a disgrace to giants” and broad bathroom humor built around the word “whizzpop,” referring to farting.

Other Content Notes

• Sophie is an orphan and speaks plainly about her parents being dead, which adds a quiet note of loss beneath the adventure.
• Men who appear drunk are seen in the streets below the orphanage. The giants also drink a fizzy beverage called frobscottle, but it is not treated as alcohol.

Notable Moments

• Sophie’s abduction: Sophie is taken from the orphanage by the BFG and screams as she is carried away to Giant Country.
• Threat of being eaten: Sophie believes she may be eaten, and the danger from the other giants remains a recurring source of fear.
• Nightmare planting: The BFG places a nightmare into Sophie’s sleep to make her understand how dangerous the other giants are.
• Whizzpop humor: A fizzy drink leads to comic flatulence, including in a royal setting.

  “whizzpop”

Discussion Prompts

• Courage and protecting others: What made Sophie brave, and how can courage be used to help someone else instead of just proving yourself?
  • Biblical guidance: Biblical courage is not fearlessness; it is trusting God and acting for the good of others.
  • Scripture: Joshua 1:9, Philippians 2:4
• Friendship across differences: What helped Sophie and the BFG become loyal friends even though they were very different?
  • Biblical guidance: Scripture calls us to show kindness, humility, and love across social and personal differences.
  • Scripture: John 13:34-35, Ephesians 4:32
• Fear, dreams, and where peace comes from: How does the movie talk about dreams and nightmares, and how is that different from the peace and security God gives us?
  • Biblical guidance: Children can be reminded that our ultimate safety and hope are not in magic or dream power, but in the Lord and in the comfort of Jesus Christ.
  • Scripture: Psalm 4:8, John 14:27
• Using influence to confront evil: Why was it important that Sophie and the BFG asked for help instead of trying to carry everything alone?
  • Biblical guidance: God often works through wise appeals, community, and just authority to protect the vulnerable.
  • Scripture: Proverbs 31:8-9, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10