Jack the Giant Slayer

The best thing about fantasy type films is just that... fantasy. They can whisk one away to a different time and place, with human, animal, or even fantastical creatures to allow us to plug into our imaginations to have a ton of fun with. The list is endless in film history: "Star Wars", "Clash of the Titans", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Jurassic Park", "Planet of the Apes", last year's "Snow White and the Huntsman", and on and on. To add to that list, we have "Jack the Giant Slayer".

When young farmhand Jack (Nicholas Hoult) unwittingly, through ancient beans he got from a monk (Simon Lowe), opens a portal between his realm and a race of giants via huge fast growing stalks. Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) inadvertently gets caught at the top of the stalk, so her father, King Brahmwell (Ian McShane) has Jack, Elmont (Ewan McGregor), Roderick (Stanley Tucci), Crawe (Eddie Marsan), Wicke (Ewen Bremner) and a small group of soldiers climb up the stalk to retrieve her. This, of course, is where the giants reside.
Through the happening of this stalk, it rekindles an ancient war that occurred many, many years ago. Roaming Earth for the first time in centuries, the fearsome giants seek to reclaim the land they lost long ago. Jack and others have to face an army of foes that he thought existed only in legend, but through their arduous fight for the kingdom and its people, Jack himself may win the love of Princess Isabelle, perhaps becoming a legend himself.

Others to round out the cast are Christopher Fairbank as Jack's uncle, Mingus Johnston as Bald, Ralph Brown as General Entin, Joy McBrinn as Old Maid, Chris Brailsford as Blacksmith, Warwick Davis as Old Hamm, and Craig Salisbury as Panto Erik the Great.

This was effortlessly directed by seasoned veteran, Bryan Singer ("Public Access" '93, "The Usual Suspects" '95, "Apt Pupil" '98, "X-Men" 2000, "X2" '03, "Superman Returns" '06, "Football Wives" (TV movie) '07, "Valkyrie" '08, "Mockingbird Lane" (TV Movie) '12). By his very resume, this guy knows his way around a large big-budget film, so he had to feel right at home here. It was written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, and Dan Studney based on a story by Lemke and David Dobkin which was loosely based on the fairy tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk". This was an interesting twist on the very old tale utilizing the stalk as an actual pivotal thing within the story and working the story around that. Considering that these type of films are usually made to showcase the amazing visuals, the storyline here actually captured your attention.

The visual effects predominantly created by Digital Domain, MPC (Moving Picture Company), Rodeo FX, and Soho VFX were absolutely seamless. How do those guys do it?

With very few choppy places in script, this film was still able to tell that very old tale with a new and fresh approach that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                         Rated: PG-13                         113mins.