The latest Hollywood craze trundles on, as yet another classic fairy tale is given a modern twist with Jack The Giant Slayer. The childhood tale of farm hand Jack and his climb up a massive bean stalk is re-imagained as a fantasy adventure, crafting an impressive new back story, putting a clever spin on the more over-familiar elements. It all leads to a very old school feeling adventure flick (the best kind in my opinion), but not one without its problems.
In the kingdom of Albion, a young farm boy Jack (Nicholas Hoult) comes into possession of a bag of magic beans. O.k, so far, so familiar. These beans are in fact ancient relics that act as a gateway to the land of Gagantua, a realm of giants who have sworn vengeance on the bloodline of the king who exiled them there hundreds of years before. So, that's new. When the beans sprout a beanstalk stretching into the sky, taking Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) with it, Jack joins a group of knights and noblemen, including brave Elmont (Ewan McGregor) and villainous Lord Roderick (Stanley Tucci), to mount a rescue.
The biggest problem with the movie is its pacing. It takes quite a bit to get going, in my opinion setting up characters that are thrown away without a seconds after thought, and starts to spin it's wheel very early on. Once the action makes it's way to Gagantua, that's when it should have kicked into high gear, but instead it meanders. The story also shows it's hand way too early, robbing it of an interesting plot point. The pace picks up as it guns for the third act, setting up a fantastically realised and visually impressive finale, that sadly fizzles out about ten minutes too soon. It is not to say the script is bad. There is some very clever dialogue, and a number of funny moments, but pacing goes a long, long way.
To his credit, director Bryan Singer does inject a lot of fun into proceedings. The set pieces are pitched enough to hold your attention, and probably blow the minds of the younger members of the audience (the beanstalk being chopped down was very close to blowing mine), with the cast having great fun with their roles. Hoult, as always, is a likable protagonist, giving Jack the right amount of charm and courage. He plays off nicely against Tomlinson, who does a lot with being saddled with the cliched strong willed princess role. But they are outshone by McGregor, sporting the most impressive quiff of the year so far, who has the most fun, filling his scenes with bluster and bravado. Stanley Tucci and Ian McShane, as Isabelle's father, are sadly underused, Tucci especially, since he seemed to be having an immense amount of fun as the unscrupulous bad guy.
The giants are brought to life quite well, for the most part. Being totally CGI creations, they are all characters in their own right, and aren't just there as decoration. The rendering is a bit off on some of them, especially Fumm, who comes across as plastic looking. Which is very distracting, since he plays a big role in the third act. All of the effort seems to have gone on Fallon, the leader of the giants, voiced with the usual aplomb by Bill Nighy (seriously, he could give Tim Curry a run for his money in the voice acting stakes). He is seriously impressive, especially since he sports a snarling second head which acts independently to the rest of him. They make for a great double act. The rest of the special effects are top notch (the beanstalk being a personal favorite of mine), and really add to the overall fun of the film. As for the 3D, it is quite subtle, adding more depth than anything else, with very few in your face moments. As always, make sure the cinema of your choice has a good track record with 3D before handing over the extra cash.
While not the giant (sorry) success some people were hoping for, Jack The Giant Slayer is a lot of fun, and a good movie for a family day out at the cinema.
In the kingdom of Albion, a young farm boy Jack (Nicholas Hoult) comes into possession of a bag of magic beans. O.k, so far, so familiar. These beans are in fact ancient relics that act as a gateway to the land of Gagantua, a realm of giants who have sworn vengeance on the bloodline of the king who exiled them there hundreds of years before. So, that's new. When the beans sprout a beanstalk stretching into the sky, taking Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) with it, Jack joins a group of knights and noblemen, including brave Elmont (Ewan McGregor) and villainous Lord Roderick (Stanley Tucci), to mount a rescue.
The biggest problem with the movie is its pacing. It takes quite a bit to get going, in my opinion setting up characters that are thrown away without a seconds after thought, and starts to spin it's wheel very early on. Once the action makes it's way to Gagantua, that's when it should have kicked into high gear, but instead it meanders. The story also shows it's hand way too early, robbing it of an interesting plot point. The pace picks up as it guns for the third act, setting up a fantastically realised and visually impressive finale, that sadly fizzles out about ten minutes too soon. It is not to say the script is bad. There is some very clever dialogue, and a number of funny moments, but pacing goes a long, long way.
To his credit, director Bryan Singer does inject a lot of fun into proceedings. The set pieces are pitched enough to hold your attention, and probably blow the minds of the younger members of the audience (the beanstalk being chopped down was very close to blowing mine), with the cast having great fun with their roles. Hoult, as always, is a likable protagonist, giving Jack the right amount of charm and courage. He plays off nicely against Tomlinson, who does a lot with being saddled with the cliched strong willed princess role. But they are outshone by McGregor, sporting the most impressive quiff of the year so far, who has the most fun, filling his scenes with bluster and bravado. Stanley Tucci and Ian McShane, as Isabelle's father, are sadly underused, Tucci especially, since he seemed to be having an immense amount of fun as the unscrupulous bad guy.
The giants are brought to life quite well, for the most part. Being totally CGI creations, they are all characters in their own right, and aren't just there as decoration. The rendering is a bit off on some of them, especially Fumm, who comes across as plastic looking. Which is very distracting, since he plays a big role in the third act. All of the effort seems to have gone on Fallon, the leader of the giants, voiced with the usual aplomb by Bill Nighy (seriously, he could give Tim Curry a run for his money in the voice acting stakes). He is seriously impressive, especially since he sports a snarling second head which acts independently to the rest of him. They make for a great double act. The rest of the special effects are top notch (the beanstalk being a personal favorite of mine), and really add to the overall fun of the film. As for the 3D, it is quite subtle, adding more depth than anything else, with very few in your face moments. As always, make sure the cinema of your choice has a good track record with 3D before handing over the extra cash.
While not the giant (sorry) success some people were hoping for, Jack The Giant Slayer is a lot of fun, and a good movie for a family day out at the cinema.
