THE BFG (PG)

Starring: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Jemaine Clement, Bill Hader, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Adam Godley Director: Steven Spielberg

THERE was a storyteller who once told a tale about a lonely girl who befriended a tall, strange creature and they embarked on an incredible adventure.

The story was told in a book which sold millions around the world.

There was another storyteller who once told a tale about a lonely boy who befriended a small, strange creature and they embarked on an incredible adventure.

That story was told in a film which was seen by millions of people around the world.

The BFG, written by Roald Dahl, and ET: The Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg, are two hugely popular fantasy stories that have enthralled readers and audiences of all ages for more than 30 years.

And for many, a Dahl story told in film by Spielberg is a project as mouthwatering as a bottle of frogspottle.

The BFG is a much-loved children's book and any director - Spielberg included - would have to take great care not to mess it up.

We needn't have worried. Advances in digital technology have helped bring the story to life, fleshing out fantastic characters and creating magical experiences. But most importantly, and disregarding the visual effects, the spirit of the story remains.

Ten-year-old Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) lives in a London orphanage. She has trouble sleeping and takes comfort from reading books by torchlight.

Then one night something strange happens - disturbed by noises outside, she takes a peek, only to be picked up by a huge hand and whisked away into the night.

Sophie has been kidnapped by a giant, but a nice one who has her best interests at heart and who introduces her to the charms of his ramshackle, cavernous home - and the not so tasty delights of his staple diet, the snozzcumber.

The Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance) explains his work is catching dreams and takes Sophie to the ethereal Dream Country, where he collects dreams to eventually scatter among the children of the world.

But the BFG isn't the only inhabitant of Giant Country - there are other giants at large who are even bigger than him, and not for them the repulsive snozzcumber; they prefer the tasty flesh of "human beans" and soon realise there is one in their midst.

So Sophie and the BFG have no choice - she must reveal him to the world of human beans, and ask none other than the Queen (Penelope Wilton) for her help in defeating the bad big boys.

The BFG movie is what happens when two fantastic imaginations collide. Spielberg has turned Dahl's story into a kaleidoscope of jaw-dropping images and colour, the author's weird and wonderful ideas breathtakingly brought to life.

Of course they are brought to life mainly through the special effects at Spielberg's disposal, and there is the argument that this could de-humanise the story. But there is also the view that without these effects the film couldn't be made - or if it was, it wouldn't anywhere near as spectacular.

And there are some delightfully spectacular set-pieces - Dream Country is beautifully realised, and serving the BFG dinner at Buckingham Palace is hilarious, particularly when those whizzpops begin (you get whizzpops when you drink frogspottle; unlike normal fizzy drinks, where the bubbles float upwards and you burp, with frogspottle the bubbles go down and instead of burping you.... well, you get the general idea).

The BFG himself certainly feels real, with motion capture techniques allowing Rylance to simply become the giant - there is nothing mechanical about the performance; it is played with emotion and humour and the actor is clearly having fun with the role, with the character coming across as a favourite, rather naughty uncle.

Young Ruby Harnhill was free of the constraints of visual effects on her own body, but had to act with them to make her performance convincing, and she does very well, easing herself into the role and having a wide-eyed innocence but being very smart with it too. And she doesn't mind getting wet or gooey.

The BFG is terrific entertainment that turns a familiar story into something fresh and spectacular.

There are a lot of good family films around at the moment, but this one is head and shoulders above the rest. As the BFG himself may say, scrumdiddlyumptious. 8/10