Directed by:
Bryan SingerCinematography:
Newton Thomas SigelComposer:
John OttmanCast:
Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Eddie Marsan, Ewen Bremner, Bill Nighy, John Kassir, Ralph Brown, Mingus Johnston (more)VOD (2)
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An ancient war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend… and gets the chance to become a legend himself. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
The reason for the high rating is really simple: I got about ten times more fun than I had dared to expect. Singer is a director with capital D, and this easygoing fantasy adventure flourishes under his hands as admirably as his comic book flicks (X-Men) or dark crime flicks (The Usual Suspects), and I had as much fun watching it as I've had with Hollywood fantasy in a long time. A very, very good and imaginative script, a straightforward narrative, an enchanting, almost fairy-tale atmosphere and a generally likeable cast (perhaps only Hoult is a bit too "plankish"), all in perfect balance and of course complemented by great visual effects, which are the main thing here:-) A perfect diversion for adults and (except for a few moments) for their older kids. 85%
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Sure, modern technology can work wonders, and thanks to it, film special effects have reached an incredibly high level. This fairy tale has a solid budget and therefore is capable of offering a spectacular spectacle. Moreover - and I find this appealing - it is not affected by that overly sweet Disney style. It can be dark and at times it even crosses the line into the horror genre. On the other hand, if you compare Jack the Giant Slayer to the successful film Stardust, you quickly notice Jack's weaknesses. It lacks lightness, functional humor, and the charisma of the characters. What troubles Jack the most is the lack of chemistry between the main protagonists and, above all, the painful casting mistake in the role of Jack. Overall impression: 55%.
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Jack The Giant Slayer is an absolutely (but absolutely) archetypal fantasy film that replicates overseas productions of recent years in almost every way. A cast of mostly well-known and lesser-known actors, a slightly predictable script (although that little trip to the present day made me happy), and a ton of visual effects that, unfortunately for all of us, look really sloppy and totally inauthentic in places, which is quite striking with a budget of just under 200 million dollars. Of the acting ensemble, I was most impressed by Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner. It wasn't that bad a film, except maybe I was expecting something more, something new, but so be it. In short, a film that stands out for how immediately mediocre it is
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Wannabe Stardust. A wacky fantasy fairytale with no lightness or humor, not to speak of the chemistry between the central duo. And although it’s pretty hard for the above reasons, in the end it’s more or less watchable. The crowning stupidity of this is, however, that although the movie ends after running for an hour and a half, instead of the final credits a forcibly grafted on half-hour of fight mayhem takes off and it’s... massively unbearable (and I found Jack similarly unbearable too).
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A fantastic fairy tale - fantastic in terms of genre and in processing. Bryan Singer clearly played with the giants and filmed them in such a way as to make the younger part of the audience tense and the older ones entertained. It succeeded in both thanks to likable actors (Stanley Tucci is wonderfully devious, Nicholas Hoult can be suffered), a balanced screenplay that thankfully knows what perspective is (it's not as blatantly dark as, say, Snow White and the Huntsman), a reasonable runtime and, last but not least, amazing special effects. The epilogue must convince everyone that Jack the Giant Slayer was created mainly to entertain us and its creators.
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