Born Movie Reviews

Movie Review written by: Born Movie Reviews

RT Critics Rating: 5.1/10

Born Movie Reviews' Rating: 7/10

Fee fi fo fum. Ask not whence the thunder comes. For between Heaven and Earth is a perilous place. Home to a fearsome giant race.

Playing a clever twist on the original tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Slayer tells of an ancient war between the humans and the giants, in which the giants have been "locked away" in their world. Waiting for centuries to return to Earth, the giants plot an army and revenge to take back their land. All hell breaks loose when young Jack (Nicholas Hoult) accidentally unleashes a magical beanstalk.

The film starts out rather slow, alternating back and forth between Jack and young princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), who both grew up hearing the story of the giants and both are in search of an adventure. As the film alternates with awkward editing, the script quickly exposes its weakness in the dialogue department. Though it is not considered "bad dialogue," it is inevitably forgettable and familiar in tons of other fantasy films.

In addition to being plain in storyteling, Jack the Giant Slayer does lack a bit of depth, being just a straightforward piece of entertainment rather than a complex thematic work. Then again, the film does hold an ambition to push a theme, using Isabelle and her father, King Brahmwell (Ian McShane), but the execution and aim for the film takes a different path.

The characterization is very unsophisticated, but the acting is very committed. Though Hoult might be more welcomed in his earlier film Warm Bodies, he still proves that he can hold the entire film on his back. Tomlinson, as pretty as she is, surprisingly delivers in this film, similar to Lily Collins portraying Snow White in Mirror Mirror. As a pleasant treat, Ewan McGregor is Elmont, the leader of the king's elite guard. Though he looks great on-screen, his personality is too much of an Obi-Wan Commander. Probably the worst component of the cast is Stanley Tucci and his overly cartoonish attendant. However, the best component is Bill Nighy as Fallon, the two-headed leader of the giants. Unfamiliar with Bill Nighy? Yeah, imagine a giant that sounds like Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Jack the Giant Slayer triumphs with big set pieces and large-scale visual effects, though the giants sometimes look like they are unrendered, which can remind viewers how flooded and inflated the film is with visual effects. Debatingly, it would have been more refreshing if the giants were actual actors with makeup and visual effects enlarge them. However, the film is largely entertaining, with fun scenes and an interesting narrative. Agreeably, the film is rather forgettable and is a more traditional fantasy done by Bryan Singer, but still, Singer proves that he can manage a large cast the way he did before in the X-Men films.

In conclusion, Jack the Giant Slayer is probably the simplest film this year so far in the fantasy genre. It might be satisfying enough for some viewers, but it might be disappointing for many critics. The list of characters are pretty enthusiastic for a twist on Jack and the Beanstalk, and the twist itself gives the film its originality and creativity, and for this critic, that is enough for a simple good time in the theater. Jack the Giant Slayer may be swollen by excessive computer generated imagery, but it is certainly fee-fi-fo-"fun."