Nicholas Hoult, recently seen as a member of the undead in Warm Bodies, has the title role in Jack the Giant Slayer, and although I liked him as a zombie, he works just fine as a human as well. I didn't know Stanley Tucci was in this film, either, and playing "the bad guy," nonetheless; a role that is different than his usual roles. However, despite mediocre reviews from friends, I ended up enjoying Jack, although it's not a "thinking person's" movie by any means.
Jack (Hoult) lives in a tiny cottage with his dad. Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), heir to the throne, lives in the palace with her mom and dad, the king and queen of their small city in medieval England. Ten year later, Jack has lost his dad to an illness, and Isabelle has lost her mom, too, and the times have not been kind to them - Jack lives with his uncle, a constant nag, and Isabelle's father, the king (Ian McShane), has betrothed her to a man twice her age, Roderick (Stanley Tucci), despite her pleas that she be allowed to marry for love instead. Jack goes into the village one day to sell a horse, and a monk gives him some magic beans for it, and cautions him not to let the beans get wet. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens, and a beanstalk grows through Jack's cottage, which has the princess inside at the time. Jack and some of the king's men, including Roderick and Elmont (Ewan McGregor), must climb the beanstalk and rescue the princess, and hope that there's no giants at the top like legends have foretold.
I saw this movie in 3D, and the 3D wasn't really necessary, although some of the parts with the giants were fun to look at in 3D. The movie was a lot more exciting than I had expected it to be, and although there were a few slow parts throughout, for the majority of the time it stayed "on course" and kept you interested in the plot. It's definitely a "fluff" movie - one that you enjoy but then promptly forget about the next day - but it's a cool way to re-imagine the telling of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Yes, see this movie. I liked Nicholas Hoult a lot in this film, and Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, and Ewan McGregor were good in it as well. Ian McShane plays the king, Tomlinson's father, and he had a few interesting parts throughout as well. I will warn you that even though it's rated PG-13, there's a few gross/scary parts throughout, so it may not be as appropriate for younger kids; however, kids 10 and up would enjoy it.
Jack the Giant Slayer is in theaters now and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 114 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.
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Liz Parker is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in Creative Writing and Literature, and she loves going to the movies. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films
