Review of Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) by Quincytheodore — 05 Mar 2013

Here's a storybook retelling by Hollywood that isn't completely rubbish. Jack the Giant Slayer stands proudly on the verge of decency, but doesn't really achieve greatness either. It is a stylized version of Jack and the Beanstalk that caters to more contemporary viewers. With the help of its stars, it provides a more palatable reinterpretation of fairy tale, although the script doesn't really shine. Effects are good throughout, gigantic creatures may have been digitally constructed before and while the giants here don't rewrite how they should be portrayed, they do have more humane motions in an attempt to include them more as characters and not mere monsters.

Nicholas Hoult as Jack is an appropriate pick. He doesn't stand out as the heroic type, leaning more towards an urchin type of protagonist. His love interest Isabelle, played by Eleanor Tomlinson, is a princess who longs for an adventure. If I didn't know better, I'd say the first few scenes are from old RPG game, and truthfully. It starts slow and predictable, almost overly cliché. This is a movie that has slow beginning but eventually builds up to more interesting sequences.

Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor and Ian McShane are no strangers to fantasy movie, these veterans are charming and act their parts ardently. They give more color to the otherwise wanting movie, I personally like Ewan McGregor as he steals the scenes even only as supporting role. Writing is somewhat inconsistent, some dialogues are corny and seem forced, and for those who aren't, they are decent at best. The pace is brilliantly tight however, the scenes are set in hasty fashion, not prolonged mundanely, and they are chained together fluidly.

Action is integrated well, the ones towards the end are pretty amazing. It has compact and comprehensible battles, things happen quickly in sorted recognizable order, it's a good trait to have, considering the numbers of people involved are plenty at times. The use of 3D is serviceable, camera placement for the action are tailored for it, although not in invasive way as most 3D movies do. The switch to first person view briefly at some events is a nice touch.

Wardrobe for the cast deserves credit, outfits are medieval yet seemingly have modern ambiance to them. Armor designs fit the theme, the characters look fine as each respective garment insinuate their personality more. Jack the Giant Slayer is a movie which isn't overly epic, it does have some issues and doesn't really make for a grand journey. However, the solid acting and good pace will likely amuse audience.