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Tall tales: the 20 best giants in film – ranked!

The Guardian UK Thursday 03 September 2026, 12:00 UTC By Anne Billson 1 min read
Key Points

On the 300th anniversary of Gulliver’s Travels, we celebrate the biggest film stars of them all – from a stone colossus to a metal-munching alien and a 50ft woman on the rampageNot a first-person-shooter BFG, alas, but one of Steven Spielberg’s worst films, reducing Roald Dahl’s story to digital pap. Mo-cap Mark Rylance, whose cutesy ungrammatical babbling should have been left on the printed page, is the 24ft Big Friendly Giant who kidnaps an orphan girl, Sophie. Big Creepy Giant, more like.

On the 300th anniversary of Gulliver’s Travels, we celebrate the biggest film stars of them all – from a stone colossus to a metal-munching alien and a 50ft woman on the rampage

Not a first-person-shooter BFG, alas, but one of Steven Spielberg’s worst films, reducing Roald Dahl’s story to digital pap. Mo-cap Mark Rylance, whose cutesy ungrammatical babbling should have been left on the printed page, is the 24ft Big Friendly Giant who kidnaps an orphan girl, Sophie. Ugh. Big Creepy Giant, more like.

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Gulliver’s Travels (LOCATION) BFG (ORG) Steven Spielberg’s (PERSON) Roald Dahl’s (PERSON) Big Friendly Giant (ORG) Sophie (PERSON) Big Creepy Giant (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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