Jack the Giant Slayer Review.

Thoughts: Jack the Giant Slayer is a retelling of the classic "Jack and the Beanstalk" story, except on an epic scale. There is not a lot to say about Jack the Giant Slayer, it was fun, entertaining, and an all around solid adventure movie, but there is nothing particularly special or original about the story except that it was told well enough with a lot of adventure.



Directed by: Bryan Singer
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure,
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Running Time: 114 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13


The Good: Fun adventure throughout, Epic final battle, Surprisingly dark at times,

The Bad: Predictable story, Overly cartoony giants,



Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
In the Kingdom of Cloister, Jack, a young farm boy, is fascinated by the legend of Erik, an ancient king who defeated an army of invading giants from a realm in the sky by controlling them with a magical crown. At the same time, Princess Isabelle becomes fascinated with the same legend.
Ten years later, Jack goes into town to sell his horse to support his uncle's farm. There, Jack spots Isabelle and develops a crush on her, after defending her honor from a group of thugs. Meanwhile, Lord Roderick returns to his study, only to find that a monk has robbed him. The monk offers Jack some magic beans he stole from Roderick as collateral for Jack's horse. Back at the castle, Isabelle quarrels with her father, King Brahmwell, as she wants to explore the kingdom, but he wants her to stay and marry Roderick. Likewise, Jack's uncle scolds him for being foolish before throwing the beans on the floor and leaving the house.
Determined to be free, Isabelle sneaks out of the castle and seeks shelter from the rain in Jack's house. As it rains, one of the beans takes root and grows into a massive beanstalk that carries the house and Isabelle into the sky as Jack falls to the ground.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 5.2/10- Predictable but fun story delivers the thrills you would expect. The retelling of the classic story was well done with plenty of new material added to make it more epic. Pacing of the film was quite good, and there was never a dull moment. The dialogue left much to be desire because a lot of it was cheesy.

Action: 7.8/10- The final battle was well filmed, albeit CGI heavy and some of the other fights were fun. While there was nothing amazing, the action gets the job done well.


Acting: 6.5/10- Nicholas Hoult gives the standout best performance of the cast giving a solid. Ewan McGregor gave a fun performance; his character was fun to watch. Eleanor Tomlinson did not have a lot to do in the film, but she played the beautiful princess role well. Stanley Tucci and his lackey were over-the-top and very cartoonish, fortunately neither character was used all that much.   

Special effects: 6.7/10- Even though much of the movie looked great, the giants were far too cartoony. The giants looked like something out Sherk, not a live-action film.

Soundtrack: 7.5/10- John Ottman produces a fun adventurous soundtrack to match the adventurous tone of the film.

Comedy: 6.8/10- While some of the fell flat, there were a few humorous parts.

Would I Watch This Again: Probably not, the movie is fun but forgettable.

Overall: 6.2/10- Overall Jack the Giant Slayer is a fun romp that is sure to entertain and turns out better than most would expect.

Closing comments: While nothing particularly special, Jack the Giant Slayer is a watchable and fun movie that never bored me.

Recommended for: Fantasy fans, Adventure fans, Action Adventure fans,


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