Review of Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) by Albert K — 30 Nov 2013

"Fe-fi-fo-fum".

Ahh yes, time for Hollywood to once again churn out yet another rendition to an old fairy-tale and give it that desperately needed "Hollywood flavor".

...Kidding.

The victim to Hollywood's incessant attempt to destroy yet another classic tale: Jack and the Beanstalk.

It's everything that I was coming to expect: gratuitous on CGI, poor screenplay, and a trade-off of stellar storytelling for heavy action. "Jack the Giant Slayer" looks like one of those movies that, sure, has Hollywood's backing, but neither would be a good movie or a box-office powerhouse. Especially after seeing the ratings hitting just near-shy of fresh, this live action rendition of a classic folk tale never caught my attention, but to my surprise, "Jack the Giant Slayer" is 2013's guilty pleasure.

Unfortunately, that's where all the surprises come to a screeching halt. You can't get a much more Hollywood movie than "Jack the Giant Slayer", and you know what? That's perfectly fine. Don't expect Oscar-worthy performances even when we got the likes of acting veterans Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci. But what truly makes "Jack the Giant Slayer" shine is that though the film is hefty on CGI, the story itself has just enough action injected into the source material's narrative that brings a quality of an entertaining adventure movie into life. It's not too much and not too little. And because the original source material remains a classic fairy tale because of its compelling storytelling nature, "Jack the Giant Slayer" seemingly manages to stand on its own two feet when the action dies down.

I'm not saying that you should go out and watch it immediately. "Jack the Giant Slayer" is a passable cable movie viewing because of its entertaining nature -- just don't come with high expectations. I could shred this movie to pieces of all the things it doesn't do right, but what it does do right is entertain audiences, whether through the cathartic action or when it unravels the universe of the fairy tale. Perhaps that's all the average joe may be looking for at the movies.