Here we have the second entry in the wave of “grown-up” fairy tales.
Click here for the video review: http://youtu.be/AddVjLlhcj4
While Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was tailored for an adult audience with its Tarantino-esque execution, Jack the Giant Slayer is tailored to the more marketable PG-13 crowd; an audience director Bryan Singer of X-Men fame is all too familiar with.
This movie feels like your typical fantasy adventure similar to the several adaptations of “Jack and The Beanstalk” that came before it. Nicholas Hoult stars as Jack, a simple farm boy who is given magic beans in exchange for a horse and accidentally grows a giant beanstalk that leads to the realm of the giants.
We all know the story, so you can predict the sequence of events fairly easily
However, the execution of the story and the unique elements brought to it are pretty good if you know what you’re getting into.
The storyline hits every single dramatic beat and trope one can find in any stand-alone adventure film from the past few decades, but it at least hits those beats in a way that feels natural and organic, rather than forced and contrived.
On the visual side the effects are pretty impressive, at least in the way that the settings are created. All of the sets have nice aesthetic touches that make them more believable, even though there are points where you can tell they’re in front of a green screen. However, those instances are kept to a minimum.
The only drawbacks I can see from the overall design are the costuming and the animation for the giants. While the costumes are okay, some of the supporting characters are dressed in outfits that, firstly, clash with the rest of the costumes worn by the cast and secondly, clash with the cultural setup of the film’s world.
Those elements come across as something lifted from other films and inserted for no good reason
In the case of the giants, while they are pretty intimidating and well designed, there are times where they come across as a little too cartoony. Some of the antics felt like they were thrown in to cater to the younger children that would probably be watching. Again, it’s kept to a healthy minimum, but it is present all the same.
The movie also features its fair share of comedic bits, some of which feel a little flat. Granted, they were the bits that were shown in the trailers and television spots, so it may just be a reaction from having seen those jokes already.
In the remaining technical aspects, there’s not much else to say except for the fact that it was pretty much par for the course. The acting is pretty good, with some nice quips from Ewan McGregor’s performance, and Nicholas Hoult comes across as a pretty good lead.
The music feels like it’s trying to be both Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings with its repeating themes and motifs
However, there’s not much that’s memorable as it feels too much like a copy of other scores rather than bringing anything new to the table.
Overall, Jack the Giant Slayer is still entertaining, provided that you’re in the right mindset when seeing it.
Don’t expect to see something new or spectacular as there’s nothing really groundbreaking nor is there anything that really sets it apart from its contemporaries. It’s a decent film, but I’d wait for it to come to the dollar theaters.
On my personal scale, I give Jack the Giant Slayer a 3.5/5.
