People seem to forget that this film is about the journey and not the beginning or end. The backstory is filled in here and there, but the real meat is the journey and it is fantastic.
I absolutely loved this film. I saw this in Canada, where unfortunately Roald Dahl is not well known. I saw the trailer the other day and it was horrible.
I found the film to be moderately entertaining, but the cinematography, lighting, plot pace, unanswered questions, the depth in which it made the audience think is group breaking. It doesn't have to be entertaining to be a great technical film.