Jack, a farm boy (Hoult), climbs into the sky on a magic beanstalk, hoping to rescue the disillusioned Princess Isabella (Tomlinson) from the clutches of evil giants. Jack is accompanied by the king’s men, one of whom harbors treacherous plans to bring the giants down from the heavens to earth – literally.
Long ago, someone in Hollywood decided that ancient Greek myths, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, and the like were ideal material for big-budget films with heroic teenagers and other 3D shenanigans. After all, everyone knows them, and the copyright expired ages ago. So Bryan Singer, with his company Bad Hat Harry Productions, decided not to be left behind, mixing King Arthur, Vikings, and the well-known tales of “Jack the Giant Killer” and “Jack and the Beanstalk” into one wild adventure cocktail.
Like most such stories, the film desperately lacks a plausible setup. Isabella and Jack meet at the market, where the hero exchanges his horse for “magic” beans that must not be watered (pure “Gremlins”!). Alas, a sudden thunderstorm forces the princess to seek refuge in Jack’s nearby hut, and at the same time awakens the “bean magic.”
Behind the Scenes
- The film’s release was postponed by nine months for additional work on special effects.
- The following year, we will see Nicholas Hoult in two major projects: the new “X-Men” and the reboot of “Mad Max.”
- Bill Nighy played the main giant using motion capture technology.
A Hilarious Adventure
But never mind the plot – the giants themselves turn out to be very funny, and in character, they strongly resemble the dwarves from “The Hobbit,” only huge and evil. Although these computer giants don’t blend in perfectly with the live actors, there’s plenty to laugh about. Moreover, in its ability to convey the spirit of adventure, “Jack…” is head and shoulders above all recent adaptations of fairy tales. In this respect, it is much closer to “Shrek” than to the strained clones of “Twilight.”
And when the giants start throwing knights in full armor around like kittens and use mill wings as projectiles, you want to sincerely thank Singer and his team of screenwriters, including his longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie (“Jack Reacher”), for the scope, which is quite commensurate with the size of the villains in the title.