Are any of the Roald Dahl movies worth watching?

[Storygamer88]

I like his books but the movies seem to get negative or lukewarm reviews. Are any of them any good or worth watching?

Any thoughts in general on them? Thanks!

[emmaav88]

I like his books but the movies seem to get negative or lukewarm reviews. Are any of them any good or worth watching?

Any thoughts in general on them? Thanks!

This is a great forum thread! I adore the Royals Dahl books. I think they are an excellent read. In terms of the movies, I felt a little underwhelmed. I didn’t dislike them but I am not a huge fan. Out of all of the movies, I probably liked the most recent BFG and James and the Giant Peach the best. But give me the books anyday.

[HopeReads]

Yes. I've watched The BFG and Matilda. So far, I can say they're really good. Especially Matilda, I love the whole movie, it was well made, the casting is on point. But of course, its a movie based on a book, and you can tell if you read the book that there are scenarios that were different in the screenplay. The special effects and animation in BFG is pretty good, I love that it's different from the very polished look of Disney animated films. I honestly think these two movies were pretty good. But of course, the books are always better!!

[DesireeRose]

Absolutely! Charlie and The Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp is perfect! I absolutely love Tim Burton, so it was great for me. However, I know some people despise his style, so if you are one of those, you probably would not enjoy this film.

[kfwilson6]

I never read any of his books but on their own I really enjoyed Matilda and BFG was acceptable but not overwhelmingly good.

[P0tt3ry]

The short film, Revolting Rythms, that came out in 2016 is Dahl at his finest.

[P0tt3ry]

I do apologize. My carefully crafted reply failed to post so I just did a condensed one-liner. In rushed frustration, I misspelled the film title. It is Revolting Rhymes, not Revolting Rythms, and is currently on Netflix.

[FilmStar]

See the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as you will be transported to a world of pure imagination. Matilda was amazing too. It's because of her that inspired me to read so much.

[Mely918]

Matilda and maybe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. None of the movie adaptations compare to the experience you get from reading his books though.

[Mindyh91]

Oh yes! I absolutely love Charlie and the chocolate factory and Matilda. Next on my list is BFG. I've read all of his books, I can't get enough of his work!

[gkgurley]

I love his books, I do wish the movie adaptations could do them justice. I liked James and the Giant Peach film as a kid, but I watched it last year and hated it. I think The BFG was good, it did a good job of incorporating his voice in the film. Dahl has such a kooky writing style, and that was definitely in The BFG film. It was cute.

[Mallory Porshnev]

Well, I loved the 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I think The Witches was also a pretty decent film.

[bclayton13]

I recently watched the BFG and thought it was great. Reminded me of when I was a kid reading the book for the first time. And the giant is adorable.
Also I loved Matilda and James and the Giant Peach

[Riszell]

I like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

[Burgundy1991]

Matilda and BFG!

I think everyone who grew up watching Matilda could spell 'difficulty' with ease, and it keeps to the story quite well. Do you think Roald Dahl would have liked it? It was made after his death.

As for BFG, I mean the animated version. I grew up singing the whizzpopper song! Roald Dahl approved of it as well. This quote is from a Guardian article about the making of the film, from the director:
'When we finished, we ran a screening in Soho, and Dahl and his family came along. They were sitting at the back, and when the film finished they stood up and applauded. He could be quite vocal, Dahl, if he didn't like something. He didn't like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at all, the 1971 Gene Wilder one. So it was a real relief that he liked our film.'