While “Jack the Giant Slayer” is by no means a completely terrible movie, it’s not a great one either.
The movie has several strong points; its beautiful visuals, talented acting from a stellar cast, and thrilling action sequences are all things to be proud of.
Unfortunately, a laundry list of faults turn what could have been a great film into a merely OK one.
While the actors themselves put on a good show, their performance can’t help the fact that their characters are static and completely depthless. Bad guys (both human and giant) are evil simply for the sake of being evil, and the protagonists never really develop into more than they started as.
Meanwhile, the plot is uninspired and predictable, despite attempts to reinvent the story of Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, which comes as a real disappointment considering the works of director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, who previously collaborated together on “The Usual Suspects” and “X-Men”.
However, if anything manages to save the movie, it’s the 3D visuals and special effects. The twisting vines of the beanstalk winding their way through the clouds is a beautiful sight, and one scene featuring armies of humans and giants engaged in a life or death game of tug-of-war over a burning moat while arrows and flaming trees sail overhead can be described as nothing less than awesome.
While the film’s pacing dragged at certain points, the movie features some truly heart-pounding action sequences that help you to forget those less interesting scenes.
However, something to note about these scenes is that, despite being clearly aimed at younger audiences (something older viewers will no doubt quickly notice from the cut aways before implied gruesome deaths), the action sequences may in fact be too scary for younger children.
Another note needs to be made of the giants themselves, who provide almost all of the movie’s tension, along with a good chunk of the film’s humor.
If you have the money and a group of bored 12-year-olds, “Jack the Giant Slayer” can make for a fun night out. However, those hoping for anything more than eye candy and action should probably just save their money.
